the Summoner's Craft: the Butterfly Effect
by Sunset Moth
Summary: List of crossovers inside; Gunner!Naruto A summoning contract, a Demon weapon arms race, and a shady organization bent on resurrecting an old evil... A butterfly flaps its wings and a storm is born. Now it brews in anticipation. It's been very patient.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Mai Hime/Mai Otome, the Final Fantasy series and the Persona series.

I may have included elements of Final Fantasy, Mai Hime and Persona, but they are just that, elements. You don't need to have an extensive knowledge of the three series to understand the story. Really, this is just another, Naruto gets a Summoning contract, fic, though I must admit, there is actually very little summoning involved, in Naruto's case. Anywho, I'm just adding a little bit of spice into the mix. (Or that's what I keep telling myself, anyway. Feel free to ask any questions about any of the three series if you're ever confused.)

* * *

Prologue

Fifty years prior to the event known as the Kyuubi Massacre

Urgency fuelled Haruka's footsteps, and those who saw her that night saw nothing but a blur, even to the most trained of shinobi eyes. On one hand she carried three ready-to-throw kunai, each clamped tightly between her fingers. The other held some blank scrolls, a brush or two and a bottle of ink. She jerked ungracefully to the left, almost dropping some of the scrolls, and ran forward with a burst of speed that would have made her peers jealous.

"Sensei," she said, opening the steel-enforced door with very little effort. "I have 'em—took me some time but I have 'em."

"Thank you, Haruka," Rirumu spoke kindly, motioning for Haruka to sit on one of the cushions on the floor. She gathered up the things Haruka brought and placed them besides Poromu, who was kneeling in front of the Elder Gate, an activity the old woman shouldn't be doing. "Is it bad out there, Haruka?"

"Bad doesn't even begin to describe what's happening outside," Haruka answered bitterly, her features scrunched into a growl.

Rirumu hesitated, thus it was Poromu who spoke next, "Tell me, child."

"We anticipated Kanzaki's main force to hit us from the west, where the mountains are. Turned out, all that noise last month about them building forces in the mountains was just that—noise. They hit us from the south, the main road, instead. Two tinier forces, diversions, attacked us from the north and the west. They're massacring us, Ma'am. Wish I could say otherwise, but that's the truth of it. We were completely unprepared."

Rirumu grimaced from the news but her writing hand remained steady as she wrote on the scroll in front of her. "When will the reinforcements arrive, Poromu-sama?"

"There will be no reinforcements, child," Poromu spoke solemnly and stood up shakily, her gaze still directed towards the Elder Gate. Even from this distance she could hear the cries of the Espers, imploring her to open the Gate and allow them to unleash their wrath against her enemies. "The village elders fear us, and though we have close ties with the Hokage, he is but one man. Even if he was to send aid, they would not be enough to help us turn the tide of this battle. Not to mention we're so far away from Konohagakure, the reinforcements would not reach us in time."

"This wouldn't have happened if they just allowed us to live in the village. Out here in the mountains, we're more vulnerable to all sorts of attack." Rirumu muttered to herself. "So you're saying we're doomed?" she asked lightly, though there was an undertone of rage and worry in her voice. "Is that why you denied the Hokage's help?"

"Sensei, she didn't say anything about denying the Hokage's help," protested Haruka.

"But it was exactly what I did, child. As I've said, even with his aid, we will still lose this battle. I will not have him involved when I know it is futile. Besides, the others would see it as a sign of favouritism among clans. I will not let that happen, for his sake."

"I would think that you're beyond pride at this point, Poromu-sama. Look at us. We're affiliated to Konohagakure—we're sworn to their Hokage—but they don't even treat us like we're part of the village. We don't live within the village; we can't have their aid... I say, it's about time we welcome a little bit o' favouritism, don'tcha think?"

"This isn't about pride, Rirumu. I'm simply thinking about the future."

"Yes, I know," Rirumu answered with a sigh, wiping the accumulated sweat off her forehead with one arm. "Because the future is more important than the preservation of this clan."

She expected a slap or maybe even a kunai to her heart. After all, she'd just implied that their clan head didn't care about the clan. She might as well be talking about treason. Instead, she felt Poromu's warm hand on her shoulder. "But the preservation of this clan is indeed important, child. We'll all probably die in this struggle against Takeo and his men, but our bloodline will live on. That's what's important, ne?"

"We used to be the strongest clan out there," Haruka spoke up finally, brushing back pink hair from her face—a trait she had inherited from Poromu, her great-great-grandmother. "What happened?"

"We, as a clan, restricted our power," Poromu explained. "Since Sin, the greatest of our enemies, had fallen, we believed that our duty to the world was over. Thus, we felt that we should restrict our teachings to the art of summoning, and the few basic jutsus that go hand in hand with it, for we feared that too much power would corrupt our clan. The generations following the Founders' generation, the Nisei and the Sansei, agreed to this and followed our wishes, ignoring the jutsus that our Espers, our comrades, had to offer. We could have been mighty, yes, and perhaps it was wrong of us to deny our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren access to the Espers' boundless knowledge, but it's too late now. We cannot fix the mistake of the past so easily."

"Why are you telling us this now?" Rirumu asked angrily. "None of our teachers ever talked about this!"

"We kept it a secret. For the sake of the children."

"I'm done," Rirumu said, handing Poromu the scroll. Her eyes refused to meet the clan head's own dark brown. "You will hide the scroll, won't you, Haruka?"

"Of course!" Haruka said confidently. Belatedly, she added, "If that is what Poromu-sama commands."

"Yes, child, this will be your final task for me," Poromu said with a firm nod. "When I am done, you will run away and head for the Land of the Whirlpool. I have already arranged for your quarters there. A friend of mine, Uzumaki Hiroshi, will help you establish a new identity. In this way, our clan will live on."

Rirumu listened quietly to the instructions that Poromu was giving Haruka, her face grave. She understood what the scroll was for—a fail-safe in case even Haruka was captured by Takeo's people. After all, she had placed certain conditions to the scroll, ensuring that whoever would sign it was worthy to inherit the bloodline. Poromu wanted someone who would use their bloodline well—someone pure of heart. There were also other conditions, but just that would be enough to stop Takeo from fulfilling his one goal: to Bind the Espers into their blades and create more Demon weapons for his clan to use. Yes, that would be enough to keep a man with the foulest of intentions from ever acquiring their bloodline.

Even so, she hated Poromu for her plans. Once the contract was complete, her clan would be completely powerless against the Kanzaki clan; the contract would take away the right of Summoning from all of them. Seeing as they had relied on that bloodline for many years... The outcome was certain: they would all die.

Poromu threw the scroll against the Elder Gate and began a series of seals that was too quick for even Rirumu to follow. Biting her right thumb, she smeared some of the blood on her left thumb as well, and lifted her hands to her sides. Rirumu and Haruka rushed forward, and, with shallow cuts from their palms, mixed their own blood with Poromu. Then, she placed both hands reverently against the smooth surface of the scroll, the blood of the three branches—the White Mage, the Swordsman and the Gunner—seeping into the scroll. Her vision blurred and she felt reality shift underneath her feet, as if someone had just pulled the carpet from under her.

"A contract?" A small man with a very distinguished nose of some considerable length stepped forward from the shadows, grinning madly at Poromu. The Elder Gate in front her was now gone, replaced with a wall of wreathing darkness.

Her hands fell to her sides. "Yes, a contract." A light blue butterfly fluttered into view, shimmering slightly in the dim light. It landed on her shoulder. She looked around wearily and saw that it was the same room she was in before, except that now, Haruka and Rirumu were gone. The place was also considerably more silent than before.

"And the terms?" the man interrupted her thoughts, making her turn her attention towards him.

Poromu sat in seiza on one of the cushions on the floor. The man sat in front of her and a table appeared almost instantly. He picked up a brush from the table and slowly unrolled a blank scroll in front of him. She licked her dry lips and looked at the scroll, feeling nervous for the first time in a long time. "That depends on who it is I'm talking to."

"Oh I assure you, the master sent his best for this job," the man said and stroked his nose, his eyes shining eagerly.

"Your words alone won't convince me," Poromu replied.

_What evidence will satisfy you, my dear?_ She looked up at the butterfly overhead with surprise. "Philemon?" Her voice cracked as she spoke his name. Philemon was the bearer of the Mirror of Souls, the entity responsible for drawing out manifestations of the human's soul in the form of a beast. Kaien had met the man before his death. This man, Philemon, had been responsible for awakening within people of the Kedamono clan the potential to become an Esper. Poromu knew this to be true for she had met Kaien's Esper several times when she sought for his council.

"The master must think you're special, to come here and witness the Creation of this Contract himself," the man spoke happily. "The terms, my lady?" He repeated, his brush poised and ready. "I have an eternity of waiting, but you and I both know you don't have that long."

* * *

Rirumu felt the soft whispers of the wind as they brushed past her face and made their way to the east, to the sea. With her gloved hands she held the hilt of the blade Ragnarok and stared at the chaos below her with passive eyes. Beside her, Minoru shifted his weight from his right to his left foot, and back again, ostensibly uncomfortable—more so than Seiji. The staff, Nirvana, shimmered in the dim moonlight, and though the sight of it often brought a sense of calm to the old White Mage, he found no calm tonight. Only fear and a near-endless amount of worry. Not that it mattered anymore. In just a few minutes...

Seiji moved into a crouch and rested his right elbow on his thigh, taking careful aim using Haya-Ji. With deadly precision, he killed three of the enemies trying to climb the rooftops to reach them. He paused and watched his friends and family struggle against the downpour of shinobi rushing into the gates of their compound. Not all of them were Kanzaki, he knew, for the Kanzaki, though large in comparison to other clans, could not possibly boast such a huge number of people. His eyes focused on their hitai-ate and he found himself certain about that issue. After all, some of those shinobi attacking them weren't from Konohagakure. In fact, a large number of them were Grass and Rain shinobi.

_What promises have you made with them, Kanzaki? _ He wondered to himself. For once, Ifrit, did not give him an answer. The Esper was too busy protecting a group of White Mages huddled over the fallen, their hands glowing.

A light blue butterfly landed on top the sword's hilt, though Rirumu made no attempt to bat it away. Minoru's grip on Nirvana tightened when he saw the small entity however, relating it as an omen from the gods.

_It is time._ They heard Poromu's voice whisper into their minds, her tone grave. _Ready your weapons._

The three exchanged looks of comprehension and sobriety. It was over. Within moments, their power to Summon Espers would be gone, and their people would be vulnerable against their enemies, more so than before. But it would all be for the good of their clan. Their secrets, and greatest discoveries, would never fall on enemy hands.

Their hands blurred into motion as they formed seal after seal. Behind them, three Espers shimmered into view. Another set of seals were executed before their hands reached for their weapons once more. As one, they cried out, their voices tinged with pain at the amount of chakra that was coursing through their bodies, towards their hands and into their weapons, the building up of pressure making their arms shake uncontrollably. Their Espers moved to hold their hands and helped them steady their weapons. Rirumu slammed Ragnarok downwards, the sword digging through the stained wood of the rooftop. Minoru pointed Nirvana to his people, tears falling freely, the effort of holding the staff giving his face a purplish complexion. Seiji pointed Haya-Ji heavenward and pulled the trigger. "Ultima!"

The single word spoken by those three reverberated across the compound, and every one of the Kedamono clan stopped to look at the three figures in the distance. And then the blast decimated the whole compound, taking everyone within its boundaries. There was no cry of pain, no shout of horror, for the blast was quick in execution.

The few shinobi left who were waiting for Kanzaki's signal to move towards the compound, scrambled to get out of there, fear overtaking reason, urging them homeward.

Not a soul was in that area that night, save one butterfly, fluttering aimlessly.

* * *

A/N: Some might view this as a rewrite, others an alternative story to the Summoner's Craft. Suffice to say, most of what will happen in this story would have happened in Summoner's Craft anyway. If you feel that this rewrite is a disappointment and wish for me to just continue working on the original storyline that I already had, I'm sorry. I've tried several times already to write that chapter. It's just not going to happen. That said, you're free to pick up that story and make it your own. I have no objections.

I'd just like to talk about the Founders of the Kedamono clan. There are three of them: Poromu, founder of the White Mage branch; Kaien, founder of the Swordsman branch (or the Warrior branch); and Avain, founder of the Gunner branch. They're actual characters from the Final Fantasy series, although I used their Japanese names, so you'll have to research a bit if you want to know who they are. Or you can ask me. xD (Ririmu is also another character, though Haruka is not.)

That said, for those who read the original version of the Summoner's Craft, much of its history Pre-Massacre remained the same, except perhaps of the inclusion of the Elder Gate. The Founders were still part of the Liberi Fatali, the Children of Fate, and still fought with seven other individuals, all who died under Sin's wrath. The power that the Children of Fate were granted, however, is no longer as vague as it was in my earlier story. The power that they were given was access to the Elder Gate, a reference to the Sealed Gate in FFVI which was sealed by the Elder, one of the Espers there. Anyway, this meant that they could summon the Espers, and much like the system in FFVI, could learn jutsus from certain Espers. Another significant change in the Kedamono's history is the fact that all their fallen brethren (the Seven), entered the Elder Gate and became Espers themselves. That was to be their reward for dedicating their whole lives to the gods. Later on, it was said that whenever a very strong Kedamono died, a blue butterfly would visit them at their deathbed, and it would lead their soul to the Elder Gate where it will manifest into an Esper of considerable power.

With the Kedamono clan being treated as outsiders by the rest of village, I figured, not a lot of people would know about their history anyway. That means that their history will not likely be discussed by any of the villagers any time in the near future.

Also, for those who actually know about Mai Hime, when I said that there would be elements of that particular anime, I wasn't joking, though Carnivals, and mecha robots will not be included in this story. In fact, the most you'll probably see are some of the characters in Mai Hime (i.e. Natsuki and Shizuru, who were originally in Summoner's Craft, as well as a certain Kanzaki...) as well as their weapons which will be called 'Demon Weapons' in this story. More of their history will be known at a later date.


	2. Wolf Cub

Chapter One – Wolf Cub

"This gaki is no longer welcome in my apartment!" The old woman shrieked and threw Naruto forward by the scruff of his collar. "He almost burned down the entire place this morning with one of his pranks."

The boy struggled to his knees and growled, "It wasn't a prank! I was trying to cook some breakfast."

She slammed her foot against Naruto's back, forcing him to have another taste at the wood's hard surface. "Who'd believe a gaki like you?!" she spat. "Face it; the only thing you're good at is destroying things!"

Two ANBU emerged from behind the woman, their arms ready to pull her away. They stopped when they saw the Sandaime shake his head slightly. Nodding briefly, they stepped back into the shadows of the office and blurred out of sight. The Sandaime leaned forward, "Is the compensation I gave you not enough to warrant another chance for Naruto to live in your establishment?"

"I don't care how much you give me! He'll not step foot in my apartment ever again, you hear me?" The woman blushed after a moment's pause. She hadn't realized how unlady-like she'd been acting in front of the Hokage, the esteemed leader of Konohagakure, until now. With a huff she straightened up and smoothened her rumpled dress with hands that shook.

"If I cannot convince you, then so be it," the Sandaime spoke, sighing audibly. "You may go, Maeda-san."

The old woman bowed stiffly and withdrew without another word, a smug smile on her lips. Naruto finally got to his feet, his face twisted in a vindictive expression. "I was only trying to cook some breakfast," he repeated and sat on one of the chairs facing the Sandaime, his feet dangling. One of the ANBU appeared once more and, with glowing hands, checked to see if Naruto had acquired any injuries from the old woman's rough handling. There were none, to his relief. He informed the Sandaime with a discreet hand signal before returning to his post besides the door.

"You could have asked one of the apartment's occupants to teach you how to cook properly," the Sandaime spoke, benevolent eyes peering from underneath the Sandaime's wide-brimmed hat.

"I tried to. I was even polite about it like you said, but no one would teach me," Naruto answered with a look of defiance. "They said I could eat raw meat fine because I was no better than an animal!" He paused and gazed downwards. "I tried it, you know," he murmured, shuddering at the memory. "It didn't make me sick or nothin' but... Am I just being picky about my food if I don't like eating it that way?"

Years of attending village council meetings kept the Sandaime from making a horrified face in front of the boy. Nevertheless, what his face concealed, his heart experienced a ten-fold of: a vastly, irrational, and bitter anger. He tugged his hat down to conceal his face and inhaled deeply from his pipe. A ring of smoke left his lips and trailed upwards, dissipating slowly. "Here's a secret, Naruto," the Sandaime whispered, leaning his head forward to smile at the small boy. "During my days as an active shinobi, there were times when I found that making a fire was far too dangerous a move, especially when I was hiding in enemy territory. So I did what had to be done, even if it meant eating my food without cooking them.

"Someday, you might find yourself stuck in the same situation. So just think of this whole experience as another lesson in what it means to be a shinobi. Sure, no one would admit to doing such barbaric things nowadays, and there's all that new development with food scrolls and whatnot. In fact, no one would believe me if I told them _the_ Sandaime, the leader of this village, once had to eat his deer raw, but really, that's the reality of a shinobi's life. So, in doing what you did, you know more than those other kids in the Academy, ne?"

"Does that mean that eating raw meat is good?"

"Well, I suppose so, though I don't suggest you change your diet simply because of what I said. I'm simply saying that you should keep your mind open to these things and think positively, even when the situation suggests you do otherwise."

The boy nodded enthusiastically. "I'll keep that in mind, Jii-chan. Thanks again." He slid off the chair and was about to leave when the Sandaime stopped him.

"Going already, Naruto? We haven't discussed about your living arrangements yet."

Naruto shrugged and scratched the back of his head. "I figured, it's another month living on the streets again."

"The streets, Naruto? Again?" The Sandaime asked, bristling in anger. "You are my responsibility, Naruto, therefore, your words are an affront to me. Are you suggesting that I am incapable of providing you a proper home?"

"No, no. I just didn't want to have to rely on you too much," Naruto answered hurriedly, surprised by the sudden wave of anger coming from the old man.

"You're _seven_, Naruto. You're supposed to rely on me. Elsewise, what kind of guardian would I be?" The Sandaime sat down heavily, the implication of Naruto's words, sinking in. "When were you living on the streets?"

"It was only for a week...or three," Naruto spoke weakly, his gaze downcast. "I came back when I heard that the landowner was gone on a business trip in the Land of Tea. He didn't really kick me out, technically. I guess he didn't want you to find out, in case he'd stop receiving payment for my rent."

Comprehension made the Sandaime pensive. He had remembered that particular landowner, if only because the news of his death had struck a blow to the Sandaime's heart; he'd sent a Genin team to bodyguard Hideaki-san, thinking that they were more than ready to do a C-rank mission. It seemed that Hideaki-san was involved in a smuggling operation at Degarashi Port, a small city located along the coast of the Land of Tea. The team found out about his illegal dealings and had tried to stop him. Suffice to say, they had failed and lives had been lost in the conflict.

For Naruto, on the other hand, Hideaki-san's death meant that the apartments the man owned would be inherited by his son-in-law, a disagreeable fellow who was adamantly against the idea of letting Naruto stay in one of his apartments. That had been almost half a year ago.

The Sandaime leaned back and regarded Naruto with a thoughtful look. Finally, he said, "I've decided that the apartment life is not for you. Starting today, you will be living in one of the compounds I own." He paused, hesitating. "A friend of mine used to live there, but he is gone now. Perhaps you could liven up the place, for him." He smiled, his eyes glazing over in reminiscence. "Yes, he would have liked that a lot."

"Cool," Naruto said, his mood lightening up again. He was quick to smile, and people found his eager grins quite infectious.

"As for the matter of who will look after you there..."

Someone had kicked the door open, attracting the gazes of those who occupied the room. The one who entered was an old woman in her late fifties, wearing a modest dress of a bland grey colour. She bore an unhappy expression on her face, and there was only a stump where her right arm should have been. Regardless, her left hand was more than enough in conveying her emotions. "I told you before, and I'll tell you again: there's no need for any of your people to barge into my house, demanding that I go and do my weekly physical check-up. I assure you, I can go to the hospital on my _own_. I don't need a bloody escort."

"You know that's not the reason, Izumi-san. They have told me several times that you haven't been going to the hospital in the first place."

"Does it look like I need all those prodding doctors constantly testing me, searching for a disease that isn't there? I am _fine_, Hokage-sama. It's been two years since I've had a decent, mouth-foaming, hair-tearing hallucination." She paused for breath and looked at Naruto. "Who's the little 'un?"

"He's your new assignment, Izumi-san." The Sandaime found himself saying. He adjusted his hat, grasping for words to say next. "I want you to help him adjust to his new home and act as a mentor of sorts. He is studying to be a shinobi, you see, and as much as I would like to help him with his lessons in the Academy, I'm afraid I cannot show such blatant favouritism. You will be responsible for any extra training which he might need. If, you are unable to teach him in certain areas because of your...disability however, inform one of my ANBU, and we will provide Naruto with a suitable instructor."

Izumi snorted. "Last time I remember, I'm not on active duty."

"You're reinstated then," he answered simply. "In fact, along with receiving payment for this new assignment of yours, I'll also notify my men to stop badgering you about those hospital visits. Do we have a deal?"

The woman stared at Naruto with inexpressive eyes. "He's the boy, isn't he?" Not waiting for an answer, she grabbed Naruto's shoulder and steered him out of the room.

The Sandaime blinked. He hadn't really planned for Izumi to look after Naruto. It had simply happened. Of course, thinking about it now, it wasn't too bad a decision. She was level-headed for the most part, and very passionate about her work. She may have prejudices about the boy, as was often the case for anyone who first met Naruto, but he was certain that she would soon shed herself of those prejudices. Naruto had a way with people, and it was only a matter of time before people started trusting him.

* * *

Naruto wondered if he should say something. It wasn't that Obasan's grip on him hurt, it was just, well, it was an affront to his dignity. He wasn't a dog to be dragged by a leash after all. If she wanted him to follow her, all she had to do was ask. Then again, would it be rude of him to complain? Jii-chan said that people don't get angry at him so much if he stopped being so rude to them. Was complaining rude? Naruto remembered his previous landowner and frowned. That old bat got angry at him, even when he didn't complain. But, she did hurt him when he did. Would Obasan hurt him then? Not everyone did, so he wouldn't know. Really, the only logical way of knowing would be to say _something._

"Ne, Obasan, could you let go of my shoulder? It's starting to numb," Naruto spoke politely. "I promise I won't run away or sommat."

They stopped in one of the main streets. "Where do you live?" Obasan asked abruptly.

"I don't know. Jii-chan didn't tell me." Obasan raised an eyebrow when she heard the word 'Jii-chan' but Naruto was used to people reacting like that whenever he referred to their Hokage by that moniker. "I set my old apartment on fire so they wouldn't let me live there anymore."

"Jutsu accident? A prank that went out of control?"

"Cooking accident, actually," Naruto clarified.

"Didn't anyone teach you?" When he shook his head, Obasan sighed. "You've a lot to learn then, cub." She eyed his attire with obvious disgust. "What's with the outfit anyway? Didn't anyone tell you that orange is a horrible colour to wear for a shinobi?" She snorted and continued on walking ahead. "Even if you could hide in the middle of a forest with that outfit, no one would take you seriously anyway. It doesn't matter how good you are. The truth is, people judge by others' appearances."

Naruto massaged his shoulder while trying to keep up with Obasan. He wasn't lying when he said it was numb. "That's not really fair, innit? Besides, don't you want others to underestimate you? I mean, if you're fighting a really strong opponent, they'd let their guard down if they think you're not very good and don't take you seriously."

"Sure it's an advantage if people underestimate you, but if you're strong, really strong, would such an advantage matter? By seeing that as an advantage, then you're admitting to the fact that you're not strong enough to have to rely on such stupid tactics. Why'd you choose to be a shinobi anyway? Want to get back on all those villagers who've treated you unfairly?"

Naruto wondered how she knew about that, but didn't bother asking. Adults just _knew_ as far as he was concerned. "I want to be Hokage someday."

Obasan clearly wasn't expecting that for an answer. "Why?"

"Because Jii-chan was kind to me, when so many others weren't. I owe him. I think, if I become Hokage someday, I can protect the people for him. It's the only way I can think to pay him back," Naruto answered honestly. He grinned, "It'd also be nice if people stopped treating me so badly and acknowledge me for the good things I do for them, and not the bad. When they see me, they immediately think I'm a mis—a mis... What do you call people who like to do bad things to other people for fun?"

"A miscreant?"

"Yeah, that! Or a demon, or, or, a murderer. I don't know why they'd call me that when I haven't done anything bad. It's weird, really." He paused. "But yeah, that's why I want to be Hokage. They wouldn't hurt me without reason if I became Hokage, right?"

"Not unless they were our enemies, anyway," Obasan agreed, her eyes distant. "Fine then. I guess I'll help you become Hokage."

"Really?" Naruto asked in disbelief. Usually, when he told people he wanted to become Hokage, they just made fun of him. No one had outright supported him before. "Why?"

"Haven't you heard, cub? I'm supposed to be in charge of you. If you want to become Hokage, then I can't really complain, can I?" Obasan answered. "It's part of my orders after all."

"I don't remember—" Naruto started to say, but Obasan interrupted him.

"We're here," Obasan announced and entered the clothing store.

"Buntaichou, how can I help you?" The man behind the counter asked politely. Naruto noted that he was about the same age as Obasan and there was a spiral tattoo on his left shoulder. A ninjato hung on the wall to their left.

"We need clothes for the boy, Masaki-san." There was an edge to her words, and an underlying threat in case the man refused to help them.

Masaki turned his gaze towards Naruto and smiled. "Hullo, Naruto. Remember me?" When he shook his head, Masaki laughed and pulled out a measuring tape from one of his drawers. "Of course you wouldn't. You were a year old when last I saw you." To Obasan, he said, "I used to guard him when he was a just a wee babe. Some nasty folk were after him, even then."

"Well, that makes things so much easier for me," Obasan said. "You've heard the stories, haven't you?"

Masaki nodded. "Aye, Buntaichou. Don't know a soul who hasn't heard of him. I don't believe a word of course." He began taking Naruto's measurements, scribbling numbers across his arm. "Where did you buy your clothes, Naruto?"

"They were old hand-me-downs from the orphanage," Naruto admitted with a shrug. "I don't really have any money, so I couldn't buy any for myself."

"That explains why everything's too loose for you," Masaki murmured. "If you don't have money, how do you eat and whatnot? Don't you get money through the mail?"

"Chouji always has an extra bag of chips for me, and Hinata-chan or Kiba sometimes share their lunch with me." Naruto said, trying to remain still. "I also have a little left over from before."

"The money, Naruto? Don't tell me the Hokage doesn't send you any. And what do you mean by 'from before'?"

"My old landowner gets all of my mail, even the money Jii-chan sends me. She says he's not paying her enough to look after me," Naruto explained matter-of-factly, as if it was happening to someone else, and not to him. "I used to get money when I still lived in Hideaki-san's apartment though."

"Well, you're quite lucky to have friends who'll feed you, Naruto," Masaki said, patting Naruto's shoulder sympathetically. "Do you have any colour preferences?"

The boy shook his head. "Any colour's fine with me. Anyway, most of them in the Academy aren't nice, not really, but a few of 'em treat me alright. Kiba says he could hear my stomach grumbling a mile away, so he always gives me a rice ball or two, to stop the grumbling. Hinata-chan's just really nice. I dunno why she helps me, but she does. And Chouji says that we can't survive in the field if we're always hungry, so he gives me some food too."

"And that cooking accident you mentioned?" Obasan asked. "Don't tell me you _stole_ some of those ingredients, Naruto."

"Nu-uh," Naruto denied vehemently. "I got 'em as a gift from Kiba's mother, because me and Kiba studied for this exam really, really hard, and we both got really good marks after. She said Kiba's more motivated to learn when he has a rival he can compete with, see."

Masaki instructed Naruto to wear some of the clothes and comment on them. Were they too tight? Could he move freely in them? Were they too warm? Naruto answered as honestly as he could, and was delighted to find that Masaki seemed to take his answers seriously. Adults normally just gave him things and assumed that he was fine with them. That wasn't the case here. In fact, by the time Masaki was satisfied with him, he felt strange—lighter, freer.

Obasan told Masaki to send the bill to the Hokage, along with some whispered words Naruto couldn't hear. He had a feeling that it had something to do with their conversation though, and felt slightly sorry for Maeda-san who was probably going to have a long talk with the Hokage and his clerks. Only slightly though. He still remembered the feeling of her foot against his back.

Fortunately, he didn't have a lot of time to think back on the past; before he knew it, he was half-running again, trying to keep up with Obasan's brisk pace. The woman led him to a number of shops, some of which were owned by old friends she knew very well, all echoing the affectionate nickname, 'Buntaichou,' while others were owned by people who feared her enough to do as she says. Naruto saw Obasan use fear as a medium of controlling the people, her anger like a powerful whip, lashing out at those who dared question her authority. He wasn't sure he liked her methods, but he had also met people who respected Obasan. They weren't people who were _afraid_ of her, not really. He didn't know what that meant. And then a thought struck him.

Maybe, just maybe, it was the same with all of the previous Hokages he read about in his free time. People feared you because you were strong enough to be feared. Not just strong physically, because Naruto suspected Jii-chan wouldn't still be in power if it only came to that, but also strong enough influentially. Jii-chan had power over the people. It wasn't perfect. Hell, how could it be when there were still people out there who refused to play nice with Naruto? But it was enough that these people would trust Jii-chan enough to give him the right to lead their village.

So Obasan was like Jii-chan. She had power over the people—granted not to the degree that Jii-chan did. But, Naruto thought, smiling slightly, it did help that she was on his side, like Jii-chan was. It meant that there was one other person to learn from about the makings of a leader. However, as is often with realizations, this one was unkindly double-edged. If people feared leaders, it meant that becoming Hokage wouldn't solve the situation for Naruto. Sure, people wouldn't _dare_ touch him anymore, because then he'd be strong enough to catch their attention, but that would just mean sneakier ways of hurting him. It meant that people would disobey when he wasn't looking. Just like some of the villagers did to Naruto when Jii-chan wasn't looking. Just like the way the shoemaker was reaching for his weapon holster uneasily, his wild, angry eyes darting from Obasan to Naruto, thinking that maybe Obasan wasn't looking. Oh, but she was, and Naruto turned away, staring at his new sandals moodily. From the edge of his thoughts, he could hear words being said, sharper than a kunai and meaner too.

How then, did you make people see the good side of you? Becoming Hokage meant protecting the people, but if people feared Naruto as they feared Obasan or Jii-chan, then it would all have been for nothing anyway. They wouldn't believe that his wish to become their leader was one made from goodwill. Heck, they might think it was a plot for him to get back on them. No, if he wanted people to show him respect, the way Obasan's old squad did, Naruto would have to earn it another way.

It was during lunch at a small restaurant near Toshikasa District—Old Man District, Naruto called it, but only in his head—that Naruto began to have an inkling of how he should go about gaining people's respect. It had started when he saw a reflection of himself outside the restaurant, and had fully formed by the time they were seated on some comfortable chairs, waiting for the orders they had placed.

He believed that it had something to do with appearances, and with how people perceived him. Obasan already seemed to know that of course, what with all of the shopping they had been doing for the past two hours and a half. She even felt that weapons were important, and had bought Naruto better quality kunai and shuriken to replace the ones he had. He never really thought there was anything wrong with them, and had protested at first, stopping only when the weaponsmith handed him a kunai and instructed him to throw it at one of their practice logs. For the first time, since the Academy teachers had been teaching them how to throw those bothersome things, Naruto found the kunai flying where he wanted it to fly. Granted, it was still a couple of inches off, but he had never come so close to the target before. It was almost as if someone had pulled open a curtain in front of his eyes, and he was seeing things right for the first time in his life. He had never felt so grateful to anyone before, and had resolved to purchase items from that store from now on.

It also had something to do with those old tomes she bought for him. They weren't like the scrolls on ninjutsus or on katas which he often read in his free time. These were books about etiquette—the proper bow to a hime, or table manners when eating in front of a Lord—about the human anatomy, and about words. In short, Naruto surmised, these were books on how to act all proper-like. He wasn't sure if the transformation would do any good overall—he had tried being nice to people before, and their response wasn't exactly favourable. Then again, no one had really taught him how to be proper. Maybe, he thought gloomily, I had been going about this business of being nice the wrong way.

The food served as a pleasant distraction, though a temporary one for Naruto, and after a quick lecture from Obasan on the proper way of eating meals—there was that word 'proper' again—he was lost in his thoughts once more.

So earning respect had to do with appearances, and doing things the right kind of way. Naruto frowned thoughtfully. Even though that was the case, it appeared to him that there were certain people exempt of those rules, like that Hyuuga boy a year above him. Sure, he dressed like an actual shinobi, and he was polite and everythin' to their teachers, but Naruto had the misfortune of bumping into the boy once, and he wasn't damn well near Naruto's idea polite. Hyuuga was arrogant and antisocial, and the few words he had said to Naruto were words that hurt. Yet people respected him.

I don't, Naruto thought hotly. I think he's an arrogant ass with a god complex.

He then thought of Hinata-chan, and his anger disappeared almost immediately. Hinata-chan was a lot like that other Hyuuga—which was only logical, since they're cousins and all—but she was nice and thoughtful, unlike her grumpy counterpart. Somehow though, no one seemed to acknowledge her presence, save a few people, like Naruto and Chouji, who liked everyone who fed him. What did that Hyuuga asshat possess that Hinata-chan didn't have? Arrogance? No, Jii-chan and Obasan weren't arrogant, but people still respected them. What did they have that drew people to them?

* * *

Izumi watched Naruto silently, taking a sip of Oolong tea. The boy appeared to be nonresponsive, and his eyes were clouded with thought. A part of her cursed at Naruto for acting so vulnerably in front of her. However, she also knew that he was still just a child and naivety came naturally to him. Nevertheless, he should pay attention to his meal more. Who knows if the cooks of this establishment had a grudge against young Naruto? They might try to poison his meal with something. Izumi's ears twitched slightly. She refrained from laughing out loud, which was undignified, and shook her head instead. The dishes were not poisoned, of course; her sharp senses would have found something by now. Paranoia had gotten the better of her.

She wasn't sure whether to feel pleased that the staff had made no attempt to take Naruto's life or not. She settled with slight disappointment as she administered one of her lesser poisons in Naruto's food. It was time to test the boy. Starting on her meal, she kept a careful watch on the boy's mannerisms, and on the dish which carried the poison. He still moved with the mechanical grace of one who ate inattentively, and Izumi found herself wondering what thoughts kept him from becoming more aware of his surroundings.

His chopsticks reached for the poisoned slice of beef and wavered. Naruto's eyes met Izumi's in a questioning gaze. His attention turned to the beef, and before Izumi could speak, Naruto took the slice and ate it with some rice. Silence hung over them like a despondent cloud. Finally, the boy said, "Will you excuse me?" At Izumi's nod, he disappeared behind the bathroom door, walking with all of the dignity that a seven-year old boy could muster. Izumi's ears twitched once more, and she heard the faint sound of gagging. She frowned. He knew something was wrong with the meat, yet he ate it nonetheless? She voiced her query when Naruto reappeared and took a seat opposite to Izumi.

"I figured, it wouldn't be polite of me to order something and not eat it," Naruto explained.

Izumi raised both eyebrows in surprise. "You could have just told them that the dish was poisoned."

"And what? Accuse them of trying to poison me?" Naruto asked bitterly. "It would be rude of me, especially if it turned out that it wasn't actually poisoned at all."

"You mean you weren't certain?" Izumi asked, leaning forward to scrutinize the boy's face, daring him to lie. "How did you know there was something wrong with it in the first place?"

"Gut feeling," Naruto answered honestly, though he appeared unsure of himself. "I dunno. But there's this weird feeling inside my stomach whenever something bad is about to happen to me."

Izumi straightened her back and gazed at the boy sharply. "Well then, from now on, I'll be teaching you ways to locate poison, counter them, and help your body build a resistance against some of them. After all, you can't rely on gut feeling alone. Plus, it makes your accusations all the more credible."

He nodded sombrely and continued with his meal with the pensive look of one who had retreated into his mind once more, thinking. Izumi stifled a sigh. Here we go again.

They were exiting the restaurant when Izumi felt a presence materialize a few metres away. She felt her body tense, her one good hand reaching for the tanto hidden underneath her shirt. When she saw who it was, she let her muscles relax. She nodded stiffly to the lone ANBU who stood before them. The mask the woman wore was the mask of the wolf, a mask which Izumi knew quite well for it was the mask she herself had worn when she was still ANBU. "Do you have business with us, ANBU-san?"

"Hokage-sama has instructed me to guide you to the boy's new home," the woman answered in a clipped tone.

Izumi inclined her head, beckoning for the woman to lead them. Besides her, Naruto trained his full attention to the ANBU as he assimilated all of the distinct features the woman possessed, from the long, blue hair, the short, but sinewy build to the faint glimmer of green behind the eye-slits of her ANBU mask. They followed in relative silence, Izumi watching Naruto who was searching for any landmarks that would assist him in finding the compound on his own. Once they were there, the young ANBU woman bowed and disappeared in a flurry of leaves, uttering not a word of goodbye.

Izumi recognized the place almost instantly, though her young charge didn't. The compound had once belonged to the Yondaime. Now it was the village's property, until someone buys it or the Hokage decides to give it away to someone whom he felt was worthy enough to own the Yondaime's land. Of course, Izumi thought wryly, if the Yondaime had a son, then this place would logically be his. Naruto was still young, but anyone with half a brain could easily find similarities between him and the Yondaime. That didn't explain why so many others couldn't see the similarities however. This place is run by a bunch of blind men playin' pin the blame on the donkey if you ask me, she thought angrily. No one's willing to see Naruto for who he really is—the kid saviour of the village, and the son of our late Hokage. And, she thought soberly, there are people like me who don't give a rat's ass about what happens to the boy. It doesn't matter if the majority of the villagers don't want Naruto dead. As long as there are people who say otherwise, Naruto'll have no peace from this village.

* * *

Naruto listened to Obasan's instructions with a forlorn expression on his face. The old woman wouldn't be living with him in this huge, empty compound. That meant that he was on his own again. Fortunately, she promised she'd visit him regularly to teach him how to cook meals and escort him to school. Afterwards, she'd go over what Naruto had learned that day, find out which areas he needed improving in, and help him overcome his weaknesses through whatever means necessary. She said she needed to know Naruto's current capabilities before she could teach Naruto anything. When Naruto pointed out that she was already going to teach him about poisons, Obasan replied by saying that those were already included in their cooking lessons, and therefore didn't count. She left, muttering about belligerence and wolf cubs who liked to stick their noses where they didn't belong.

Naruto liked exploring a lot. Once he was old enough to leave the orphanage, he had explored Konohagakure several times, learning its alleys and its secret tunnels. Just last week, their teachers had taught them how to jump from building to building, using chakra moulded on their feet. The next day, Naruto had woken up extra early and started going through the village again, this time learning its rooftops and mountains. If anything, the only places Naruto never really managed to see were the compounds and the insides of most of the residential houses. No one had ever invited him in.

Now he explored the insides of the compound, from inside the paper-thin walls, underneath the tatami mats and over the rooftops, making mental notes in his head of where everything was. He had found the kitchen relatively quick, his nose catching the whiff of new groceries lying on the counter. He deposited those promptly in the refrigerator and in their respective cabinets, thanking Jii-chan silently for the food. It was always thoughtful of him, buying Naruto basic necessities whenever he would move to a new apartment. The other things Obasan had ordered for him—clothes, books and scrolls—were in the largest bedroom Naruto had ever seen, along with the few things some ANBU were able to salvage from the ruins of his burnt apartment room. The moon was well in its place by the time he finished, the last room he found being a huge library which stretched underground, boasting several undecipherable tomes which Naruto vowed to read someday.

Curiosity brought him back to the library the next day, after a long lesson on chakra control from Obasan who was furious when she found out just how messily he'd been using his chakra. Also, half of the seals he had learned in the academy were either wrong or made up. It was a sobering realization, but a good one. It solved a lot of problems he had with some jutsus he was trying to learn on his own. He gravitated immediately towards the section on poisons, planning on surprising Obasan by studying ahead. However, before he could reach the poison section, he slipped on the floor, the flashlight he carried skittering into the darkness. He scrambled to his feet and crouched down to see what obstruction had caused him to slip in the first place. It was a scroll. Not a huge one, like the ones he saw in the Hokage's main office. This scroll appeared to be like any other scroll. Except... It called to him. It urged him to pick it up.

Sighing, Naruto did as the scroll commanded, sitting on the floor, his back against the wall. Without another moment's thought, he broke the seal on the scroll and rolled it in front of him, assessing the scroll with meticulous eyes. He growled in frustration after a while, and searched the library for a dictionary. A lot of the words were too long and sophisticated, and it took a while before Naruto could decipher the message on the scroll. It was a contract, which was odd, because it wasn't the kind that Naruto had seen before. Other contracts often only ever had one line. This one had, well, numerous lines. Also, most of the contracts Naruto had signed before were contracts which leased a piece of land to him, or in most cases, a room. This contract would bind a power to him, a Kekkei Genkai to be exact. This contract also had no terms, which was a first for Naruto. Every contract he had encountered so far usually had the same terms: be a good boy and abide by the laws of the village. Those terms he knew by heart. Does this mean that anyone could sign this contract? He wondered. Naruto looked down at the contract and tilted his head, debating whether or not he should sign the scroll. It was tempting, really it was. The Kekkei Genkai he would inherit would allow him to summon beasts that no one had ever heard of before. But... What gave him the right to obtain this kind of power?

"The scroll chose me," he whispered in awe, feeling the tug of the scroll once more. With his right hand, he bit his thumb and signed reverently, pressing his thumb at the very bottom. As if someone had slammed him against the wall, a shock coursed through his body, making him gasp in pain. He shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose. When his eyes refocused on his surroundings, he found that he was no longer inside the library. He was inside what appeared to be a night club, though he didn't know that. There was a stage on his left with a lone grand piano standing there invitingly. On his right was a long counter with shelves of liquor stored behind it.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, young"—the man with the long nose paused and cocked his head—"man?" He stared at Naruto with probing eyes. "Aren't you a bit too young?"

* * *

A/N: Cliffhanger! Which, really, loses its awesomeness, because I already have the next chapter posted.

Anyway, just a few things before you move on to the next chapter. (Unless of course, you absolutely hate this story, in which case, why bother to even read this now?) First of all, I agree that this new Naruto isn't canon!Naruto, at least in terms of personality. As much as I like his cheerful attitude and all, what I really want is a Naruto who knows how to talk to people. Because I don't see enough of it. (And, to the people who actually know about Persona, this is just me trying to subtly put more Persona into the story without giving Naruto a gun and making him kill himself every time to summon a Persona. Oh wait. I _am_ giving him a gun. LOL. Hopefully, he isn't emo enough to try and kill himself. Inside joke.)

Secondly, I have to warn you that there's gonna be another time-skip. That means that you won't be reading about the rest of Naruto's childhood and transition to genin. Why? Because I can't be bothered, to be honest. (I'd whine. But nobody will probably care.) Give me one good reason why though and I might just write a separate fic. Might. I need lots of convincing.

Which leads us to the third and final note. I implore you, dear readers (if I have any at all) please, please recommend Naruto fanfic to me. Please. It's not like I have real life friends who are always bugging me to work on my fanfic more. In fact, my real life friends are more concerned with passing their classes. Alas, it's the only common ground me and my real life friends have. This means that I don't get any motivation at all. And "please update" reviews just make me guilty and that's just counterproductive because I don't do well with negative emotions. (Of course, it does boost up my reviews which also equates to yayness... But that's only because I am an easy-to-please writer. LOL.) So please, if you want me to update, send me a recommendation.

Oh, and if you think rec-ing your own fic will garner you reviews... Don't count on it. Unless it's _that_ good. (I am not discouraging though. Rec away)


	3. Final Exams

Chapter Two – Final Exams

"_My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... It's been decades since we've had a guest. Only those who have signed a contract can enter this place... Henceforth, you shall be welcome here, in the Velvet Room..."_

Naruto placed a hand over the symbol of his clan and smiled fondly, his index finger tracing the dark blue glow of the line that bisected a spiral. He turned away from his closet and grabbed the sleeveless jacket off the coat rack and slipped it on, the black fabric sliding easily against his skin. There was a thick yellow line from his neck curving to his right sleeve and another line encircling his left. A quarter circle decorated the bottom right hem of his jacket and at his back, bordered with those same yellow lines, was his clan symbol. The border itself connected to two lines, one reaching to connect with the circle around his left sleeve, while the other connected towards the quarter circle. He pulled the zipper up, barely glancing at those lines and gave the closet one last look before exiting his room.

The closet had served as an entryway into the Velvet Room where he met with Igor, the Guardian of the Elder Gate. This gate was not just any ordinary gate, and connected from his world to the world of the Espers—majestic beasts that carried with them a great and terrible power that could potentially destroy entire nations. Of course, that first night he entered the Velvet Room, he vowed that he wouldn't use Espers for such mayhem, because in doing so, he'd end the lives of many. There were enough orphans in this village, thanks all the same.

With Igor was a man named Minato-san, who looked a lot like the Yondaime. Naruto wasn't quite sure what to make of that, and the few probing questions he had asked Minato-san led him nowhere. Apparently, Minato-san had amnesia, and was only staying with Igor until he found his memories again. Minato-san was responsible for teaching Naruto how to summon Espers properly, and how to go about obtaining new Espers. Though initially the contract seemed to have no terms attached to it, Naruto found that the contract he had signed that night asked a lot out of him, way more than any ordinary contract. If he wanted to acquire more Espers, he would need to do certain things, fulfill certain duties, to get them. Minato-san would tell him what quests he had to do, and give him hints on how to go about doing those quests, if he happened to have trouble with one of them. These weren't your ordinary, garden-variety tasks, like retrieving a scroll from another country, or assassinating some war lord—certainly not the kind of tasks Naruto was expected to perform by the time they would leave the Academy. For one thing, they focused on Naruto's improvement: mentally, physically, and even socially. It appeared that some Espers were only willing to bond with him if he was of a certain temperament. Minato-san had told him that it was unlikely that he would ever acquire every Esper written in the Book of Light and Dark—a record which Igor kept of all the Espers that ever lived.

He put his sandals on and checked his equipment one last time. _Minato-san wants you to learn another medical jutsu, _a voice reminded him in his head.

_Thanks, Ixion. _Naruto replied gratefully. The Esper neighed, as if to say that it was no problem at all, and was soon quiet in his head. Outside the compound, he formed the sheep seal and felt a small amount of chakra snake through his chest, down his thighs, latching firmly on his feet. There was a slight tingling sensation at the soles of his sandals—a result of having Ixion, an Esper of lightning, junctioned to him as his Prime. With a small smile, he began to jump from roof to roof, his destination, the Academy.

* * *

"It's been a while," Jiraiya greeted cheerfully before sinking into one of the chairs in front of the Hokage. His left cheek was bandaged, and there were circles around his eyes from lack of sleep.

"I didn't think you'd show," the Sandaime replied. "What happened, Jiraiya?"

"Oh, I had some difficulties getting here," Jiraiya admitted and shuddered at the thought. On his way back to the village, he had stopped by a hot spring resort about two days away from Konohagakure, and decided to do some creative exercises to get his brain stimulated for his next book. Suffice to say, the creative exercises went out of control, forcing him to leave the resort very quickly. It didn't help that the ones chasing him were feminist kunoichi who had some very strong views against the kind of material he was publishing. Thus, he arrived in the village a day earlier than he expected.

"I see," the Sandaime spoke slowly, knowing exactly what Jiraiya meant by 'difficulties'. He leaned back and opened one of the folders on his desk. "Have you visited your godchild yet?"

"Only from a distance," Jiraiya answered sheepishly. "I still think it wasn't a good idea for you to give him Minato's place."

"Why? It is his by right. Besides, it's not good for a child to be constantly moving from place to place, even if it's only within the village." He closed the folder and placed it on the table, taking another one from the tray of files.

"People will suspect," Jiraiya began, rising from his seat. He sighed, tired of that particular argument, and lifted his hands in defeat. "I give up. Rather than talk about that, why don't we talk about what he'll be doing once he graduates from the Academy."

The Sandaime watched him move back and forth the room, like a caged tiger. "What else will he be doing?"

"I know you want to put him in a genin team—"

"What other option do I have?"

"I think," Jiraiya paused and sighed once more. "I think Naruto should become part of an ANBU squad. He'll learn more there and he'll be better protected. From _them._"

"I assure you that the jounins I have selected this year are all exemplary in their fields. Are you questioning their capabilities? Do you think they won't be able to protect Naruto from the Akatsuki?"

"One of them, you mean," Jiraiya corrected him. "One jounin isn't enough, not when the Akatsuki often hunt the jinchuuriki in pairs."

"So what do you propose?" The Sandaime demanded. "I put him in an ANBU squad, and thus rob him of his right to a childhood? Take away his friends from him?"

"If it keeps him alive," the Toad Sage muttered unhappily.

"I will not," the Sandaime spoke firmly. "But I do see your point." He opened another folder and saw Naruto's smiling face on the top right corner of the document. "I'll place him in a genin team." Before Jiraiya could protest, the Sandaime added, "_Under_ Morino Ibiki. He leads one of the ANBU divisions. He'll probably be busy with his duties, but I'm sure he can delegate some of the other normal duties of a jounin-sensei to one of his underlings. You have to understand, Jiraiya. I can't show any favouritism on Naruto. That means I can't just hand him to the ANBU. At least this way, he will still be recognized as a genin by the rest of the village. Once he's old enough, I can give him the full ANBU status, along with his genin team of course. Technically, he'll only have one jounin to look after him, but with Ibiki as his sensei... That man has the entire TAI division with him. I'm sure that will be enough to fend off those who are after Naruto, don't you think?"

"I suppose so." Jiraiya agreed. "Will you make the arrangements or will I?"

"I will," the Sandaime answered. "Unless of course, you want to sit on this chair and wear the Hokage's hat." He gave Jiraiya a piercing glare. "I have no objections against that."

"I don't have your charisma," Jiraiya spoke, turning away. "And the village elders don't respect me."

"They can always change their opinion of you," the Saindaime offered. "I am getting tired, Jiraiya. I have been holding onto this seat of power for too long—way past my expiration date. It's time that a young strong man and I do mean you, Jiraiya, take over. I don't know how much longer I can keep this village under my control."

"Perhaps someday," Jiraiya promised.

The Sandaime laughed bitterly. "I'm getting tired of hearing those words."

"So am I, Hokage-sama. So am I."

* * *

Ino was worried. Normally, she didn't bother with such frivolous emotions, preferring feelings of happiness or rage, to emotions that were ultimately useless in the long run. Nevertheless, she felt the fidgety, tumultuous emotion erupting from her chest, hampering her movement. She gulped and took a seat at the very back of the room. There she took long, deep breaths to keep herself from panicking and started mentally reviewing any possible jutsus their sensei might test her in. She wasn't too worried about the results of her first two exams that day—an accuracy test which required her to hit certain areas of the dummy and a pure hand-to-hand combat exam to test her taijutsu skills—because she knew she had done well. Sakura-teme probably got the highest marks on the written exam yesterday, she thought wryly, with Naruto and Sasuke battling for second. Those three were always in the top tier when it came to written work in general, though Sakura-teme only ranked about above average when one took into account everything else they were tested in. Ino didn't really care about being in the top though. Sure, it'd be nice to be acknowledged by the others once in a while, but she wasn't really aspiring to climb to the top, one rank at a time, simply because retaining the position meant more hard work. I blame Shikamaru for being such a bad influence on me. She grinned slightly at the thought of that.

Still, she wanted to do her best on the jutsu part of the exam, if only because it was the last exam they were going to be tested on, and she wanted to beat Sakura-teme, even marginally, in something other than taijutsu. If I get a higher grade from this one, who cares if she's getting the highest score in the written exam? Ino crossed her arms and frowned. It's tied: one to one. If I get a better mark—_when_ I get a better mark, I'll be sure to rub it in.

Naruto entered, side by side with Kiba, talking animatedly about something. Ino smiled wryly upon seeing him. Most of the younger generation liked Naruto. He didn't have the same mysterious air that Sasuke seemed to possess, but he was a lot more approachable, and he was definitely smarter than some of the teachers gave him credit for. He was also polite, and rarely got angry with people, even though several of them had tried to hurt Naruto in the past. That didn't stop him from retaliating in some form, however. Ino had heard the stories. Everyone did.

Those who tried to attack Naruto in some form or another were then subjected to a number of harmless, but extremely embarrassing, pranks. Ino herself had asked Naruto about it one time, and the boy readily admitted to the pranks. What surprised Ino the most was the fact that when he said this, there was not the slightest hint of malicious intent in his eyes. It seemed as if he regarded pranks the same way he regarded ninjutsu lessons—as if they were vital training methods that would help him become a better shinobi. There was not a shred of vindictiveness when he talked about his latest prank, in fact, just a straightforward frankness, as if he was reporting to a superior officer.

She remembered one of the guest speakers they had a year or two ago on the importance of fuuinjutsu and its many uses. The guest speaker had been an old woman with a disability. Ino remembered her clearly because the thought of becoming an amputee had almost made her quit classes that year. There was also the fact that she was Naruto's guardian. Anyway, just after they entered their classroom and sat on their respective seats, a seal had been activated, summoning a huge monstrosity of a cat. The class had been thrown into chaos as students scrambled to run for the now-closed doors. Others who felt agitated by the cat's presence had brought out there weapons and had started attacking the cat to no avail. Later on, once the cat was subdued and the old woman had tired of her cackling, there had been a long discussion on the many uses of fuuinjutsu. Ino could barely remember everything they talked about that day—the woman used a lot of terminology she wasn't familiar with and taught in a very fast-paced manner—but she did remember that mischievous gleam in the old woman's eyes.

Well, that would explain why Naruto seemed to think that pranks were a form of training. Ino leaned forward and rested a cheek at the base of her palm. But were all pranks just training to him? Had he ever thought of one of his pranks as being fun and entertaining? Thinking about pranks reminded her of the Hokage monument. Just last week, it had been defaced by a "yet-unknown-miscreant." Or so the newspaper said. Would Naruto have anything to do with that particular prank? No, Ino thought almost immediately. It didn't fit his MO. He targeted those who had done something bad to him in the past. He said so himself, explaining that it was purely motivational. After all, if he was caught red-handed, these very people would persecute him even more. Besides, he wanted to become Hokage someday and appeared to respect the previous Hokages a lot. She just couldn't imagine him defacing the monument.

Why am I thinking about him anyway? She wondered and perked up a bit. She laughed and shook her head, looking at the blonde shinobi-in-training with wry eyes. There was something about Naruto that made people notice him. He had this aura that just commanded attention. He's also kind of cute, Ino admitted to herself, though she would never say this out loud. The female majority of their class was in love with Sasuke after all, and the intense rivalry between the two made some of Sasuke's fangirls agitated whenever something positive was being said about Naruto. In all honesty, she didn't really have any interest in getting a love life. It was just that, if you want to survive in a girl-eat-girl world, you had to have alliances with people. If that meant making Sasuke's fangirls happy, then that was what Ino would do. I mean, look at poor Hinata. She doesn't have any interest in Sasuke so immediately she gets shunned by the other girls. Ino frowned. Thankfully, not all the girls were head over heels with Sasuke, and the few who did prefer Naruto more had taken Hinata in.

Either way, it doesn't really matter. Ino thought ruefully. After all, we're a shinobi village, and one of the most important things in a shinobi village is its bloodlines, its precious kekkei genkais. That meant arranged marriages in an attempt to keep the bloodline as pure as possible. Ino rolled her eyes and leaned back. Fortunately for Ino, her clan's bloodline was pretty minor, and no one would care if it ever died out. Except maybe the clan, of course, she corrected herself. That meant that she had a higher chance of choosing her own mate, rather than having her father choose for her. She remembered thinking for the longest time that she was engaged to Shikamaru. What a laugh that was. After all, their parents were always making them play together as kids. (It never struck her that she might have been engaged to Chouji. He was nice enough and all, but he didn't have a shred of manliness in him.)

There had been rumours, however, of Naruto's bloodline. Ino wasn't the smartest grape in the bunch—or however that saying went—but even she could be observant. There was also the slight quirk of having a florist for a mother. When she had to look after the store for her mother for a couple of hours, she would hear the most interesting conversations, some of which were about the boy.

Apparently, he had some kind of power over beasts. There was never any indication or hint as to what these beasts actually look like, and just how powerful they were, but Ino could read a situation well, and she knew that whatever these beasts were, they were beasts to be feared. Some of the store's regulars even called Naruto a demon. Did they really fear his bloodline that much? But if that was the case, then shouldn't Naruto be treated better? After all, if he had some awesome and terrible power, they would benefit more as a shinobi village if he was treated with respect, because he would have a stronger attachment to the village. The more he cared about the village, the more he was willing to sacrifice in order to keep it safe. The blatant hatred they had for Naruto made her wonder sometimes about the strange workings of a society's mind.

"Uzumaki Naruto to the testing area please," Iruka-sensei called from the doorway. Naruto gave Kiba a slight, reassuring grin and disappeared into the other room, his gait confident. Ino knew that he would have no problem at all with the final part of the exam from past experience. It was no secret that the boy had trouble learning jutsus, but everyone knew that he worked hard, and come test day, he always ranked in the top tier, much to the consternation of their teachers. It was no fluke though, and some even claimed that they were able to learn jutsus faster after a bit of tutoring from Naruto.

He almost sounds perfect, if you ask me, Ino thought wryly. Then again, some people thought Sasuke was perfect, so I guess it's really a matter of perspective.

She leaned back and closed her eyes. Her thoughts became fragmented once more, and dilly-dallied on a subject or two before moving on. Being preoccupied with her thoughts kept her from becoming too nervous about their final test, and so when Naruto had finished, a hitai-ate tied around his leg, Ino felt serene. She heard some whispers about what Naruto did being slightly odd and unexpected, but she didn't really pay too much attention. Her mind was blank and clear, and at the centre of her body. She could feel the chakra coils within her, thrumming with confident energy from head to toe.

She was ready.

* * *

Naruto hadn't anticipated Mizuki-sensei's sudden outburst and insistence that Naruto shouldn't be allowed to graduate. It didn't really help that the man's defamatory words had almost convinced one of the other senseis to give Naruto a failing mark as well. As it was, he had to thank the extensive Bunshin training he'd received from Ixion and the others which had been the final exam for that day. Since Mizuki-sensei didn't accept his use of the Kage Bunshin, he had quickly formed a different set of seals, creating a pair of Mizu Bunshin. Before the man could protest any further, he also created a pair of Moku Bunshin, Tsuchi Bunshin, Raiton Bunshin, and Katon Bunshin respectively, grinning impulsively at the sight of their stunned expressions. He then explained that it was not easy for him to create a Bunshin, seeing as a Bunshin was, in reality, just a simple Genjutsu created to fool a man's eyes. Using a Genjutsu meant attaching a part of their chakra onto another person, and Naruto's chakra could be quite aggressive, if he did not add the extra necessary seals that would neutralize his chakra. If he had done the Bunshin jutsu, which was what they ordered him to do, then he would have to risk hurting them as well. Though his chakra had no permanent effects on another human, it was simply far too dangerous to use.

The three examiners knew what he meant, or had at least heard whispers of it among the other senseis in the Academy. Iruka-sensei was more than ready to accept that explanation, and after a brief talk with the other sensei in charge, Naruto had been given the go-ahead signal from Iruka-sensei to take a hitai-ate from the table to his far left. He had passed. It wasn't the flying colours he would have wanted, but with so many biased senseis in the Academy, he was lucky enough to get this far.

"Naruto," Obasan called from underneath a huge tree's cool shade. "Well?"

The newly-made genin ran towards Obasan and gave her a ferocious bear hug, laughing happily as he did so. "I passed, Obasan!"

The old, stocky woman smiled ruefully at Naruto's proclamation and ruffled the boy's hair with her one hand. "Gave you a hard time, did they, boy?"

"As they always do," Naruto admitted and took a step back, smiling at Obasan who was the same height as he was by now. "You honestly don't have to worry too much about me, Obasan."

"I am not worried," she answered nonchalantly. "I was just asking." She moved to turn away, her large shopping bag swinging at the sudden movement. "Will you be eating dinner with Shouta-kun and me?"

"Not tonight, Obasan. I already promised Iruka-sensei I'd meet up with him later to have some ramen at Ichiraku. Maybe some other time."

"Not that ramen stand you always go to!" Obasan protested. "You know ramen isn't very healthy for you." There was a time when she would have just dragged Naruto home, but thanks to Naruto's influence, she had become slightly subdued over the years.

"So is being a shinobi, Obasan," Naruto teased. He waved his hands. "Relax; you know very well that ramen's not the only thing I eat."

Obasan sighed and continued to walk away, disappearing into the crowd of parents and children who were heading to their respective homes in celebratory moods. In the crowd, Naruto caught a glimpse of Kiba and Chouji and waved at them, grinning widely at the sight of their hitai-ates glinting in the late morning sun. It wasn't long before the Academy was empty of children, for not a lot of them were eager to stay, especially after going through a series of tests that had begun the day before, and had only ended now. By this time, Naruto was sitting on one of the tree's sturdier branches, studying a ninjutsu scroll with a concentration that could rival Chouji's in an eating contest. Medical ninjutsus were one of the few jutsus that really troubled Naruto, and more than that, it was one of the few jutsus that he had a real hard time using on others. Unfortunately, he would have to neutralize his chakra first before he could heal someone, in the same way that he would have to neutralize his chakra if he ever had to use genjutsu. Thus, it was no surprise that he would have problems with these two kinds of jutsus. If it wasn't for Minato-san's insistence that he learn, he would have happily focused on learning other ninjutsus instead. He understood that it was for his own personal growth, but with an almost life-like chakra that seemed to care about its host, his recovery speed was exceptionally fast for a human. All thanks to Red, he thought wryly, referring to his red-haired counterpart.

"Thinking about me again, are you?" Red teased, baring his sharp pointy teeth in a huge grin. Naruto rolled his eyes. Red wasn't real. In fact, he was just a delusion that Naruto had to put up with as part of his contract. Apparently, to achieve his full potential, he had to face his own demons first and accept them. Red was an embodiment of all the demons in him, which was why he looked similarly like Naruto, save the red hair, red eyes, thickened whisker lines, and sharp teeth which Red had. His was the voice that whispered of hatred and death for the villagers. His was the voice that spoke of vengeance and running away. He was everything that Naruto tried to shun inside him, the feelings that Naruto didn't want to accept because he was afraid that it would turn him into a bitter, raging monster. Or worse yet, it would turn him into a cold, calculating killer who cared little for the safety of others.

But Red wasn't just a personification of all his worst fears about himself. Red was also the Kyuubi, an age-old kitsune who was responsible for the deaths of hundreds twelve years ago in what was known as the Kyuubi Massacre. Naruto didn't believe Red at first, but after a heated confrontation with the Hokage, he knew it to be real. Fortunately, it appeared that the Kyuubi's integration into Red's body made him more human, and a lot more pleasant than before. Of course, having to put up with Red for a couple of years now, Naruto knew that the word 'pleasant' was an overstatement.

"Unfortunately, I can't get you out of my head," Naruto answered mildly and rolled his scroll before sliding it inside his weapons pouch.

"You wound me," Red replied. He sat besides Naruto and began swinging his legs back and forth. "Don't you think Mizuki-teme was acting more suspicious than usual? He didn't seem too happy to see you graduate."

"Not a lot of senseis would be happy to see me graduate."

"Except that beloved sensei of yours, Iruka was it?" Red laughed. "Don't worry, boy-o. I'm not here to insult your precious sensei. I'm just enjoying the scenery. Besides, your friends in the Velvet Room aren't exactly the best conversationalists I've met. Not to mention, one of them reeks of an old enemy of mine." Red made a face. "Though I'm not here to insult them either."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow in question. "It's not often I see you being careful with your words. What do you want?"

"Nothing, really," he admitted. "I'm just here to give you a warning."

"What? That Mizuki-sensei's acting suspicious? He's always acting suspicious."

"See? That's the problem with you, boy-o. You've become too trusting. It's dulled your senses and your wit. How will you become a successful shinobi if you're always trusting people?"

"For the record, I don't trust Mizuki-sensei. I just don't see why today's any different." Naruto growled. "After all, today's my last day in the Academy. Shouldn't he be glad to finally get rid of me?"

"What? And lose his scapegoat?" Red smiled. "Aren't you glad you have a sociopath for a friend?"

Naruto didn't bother replying, knowing an exit line when he heard one. He jumped off the branch and headed for the Academy entrance instead, mooning over his alter-ego's words. Red had an aptitude for spotting danger; he was like an internal alarm clock that buzzed every time something bad was about to happen to Naruto. Thus, Naruto couldn't help but feel a bit anxious over what he said. Red had never been wrong before—though there were times when he tended to exaggerate—and Naruto saw no reason now why he should ignore what Red had just said. In a way, Red _was_ his instincts—just a lot chattier.

He stopped at the end of the hall in the first floor, staring at the empty teacher's lounge with a deep frown set in his face. Iruka-sensei had told Naruto to wait for him, yet it appeared that the man was already gone. It isn't like him to leave without me, Naruto thought unhappily. Not without warning, anyway.

He sprinted towards the nearest exit, felt the Cylinder shift, and heard the mental click of the Chamber. Suddenly, his body was a lot lighter, and he was running at an even faster speed than before. Valefor was an Esper of the Wind, and one of the advantages of having him as his Prime was having the winds move to his favour. In just a short amount of time, he was already in the Inuzuka compound, the sound of dogs barking in collective delight at his arrival; a pleasant sound to his ears. Kiba was washing one of the nindogs at their care and stood up when he saw Naruto stumbling to a stop.

"Miss me already?" Kiba teased, though his grin was short-lived when he saw the look of worry on Naruto's face.

"You know Iruka-sensei's scent pretty well, don't you?" Naruto asked urgently. "Because I need to find him. Fast."

Kiba didn't waste time with questions, drying himself and calling Akamaru from inside his house before beginning to sniff out their sensei. When Akamaru was inside Kiba's jacket, his head protruding just below Kiba's chin, he began sniffing as well, and after a brief exchange of words and barks from the two, Kiba gave Naruto a short nod and said, "We know where he is."

They weren't the only ones busy; while they were searching for Iruka-sensei's scent, Naruto had executed a series of seals to call upon his gun, Haya-Ji, from a pocket of space and Summon Valefor. On top of the great Esper's back, he offered a hand to Kiba and hoisted the other boy up. "Point the way," Naruto instructed and held onto Valefor's curving shoulders to keep himself from falling onto the ground. It was time to look for Iruka-sensei.

* * *

Iruka should have known better. But, the problem with the phrase 'should have' is that by the time one realizes there is a need for a 'should have', the phrase had already turned into a 'should have _been_'. Still, he made the effort to hate himself for getting into the mess, if only because he had nothing better to do. Mizuki was fucking late, and if he had to try counting sheep one more time to get some snooze, he was going to scream. As much as he like sheep, in the way that people liked most animals, of course—not the other kind of like—they were a sore reminder of the fact that he had trouble sleeping these days. People called it insomnia; he called it a big pain in the posterior. If he was going to waste time, he might as well do it wallowing in self-hatred. Wallowing in self-pity just made him feel more pathetic about himself. With hatred at least, he found motivation to become a better shinobi.

He heard rustling from behind him and sighed in relief, "About time, Mizuki. I was afraid that you had forgotten all about me. Now help me up, will you? It's been an hour and thirty-seven minutes since you've been gone, and I need a potty break."

"Nice try, Iruka," Mizuki said in such a way that one could almost hear the sneer in his voice. "But I won't fall for your trick so easily. And besides, even if you weren't lying, I still won't help you. After all, it'd be funny to see you in such a state of embarrassment as pissing your pants."

Iruka remained quiet after that and glared at the hand-sized rock in front of him instead. It looked sharp and for once, he wished he had telepathy so he could use the rock to cut himself free. Alas, he was tied against a tree and as such, could not crawl towards the rock that was at least seven feet away from him. I could also use the rock to bash Mizuki's head, he thought.

Mizuki came into view, the picture of a smug asshole about to get away with something. Behind his shoulder was a scroll about the size of a six year old. Okay, just because I teach in a school for kids doesn't mean I should start using them as some sort of metric system. Iruka shuddered at the thought. It wasn't far from impossible of course. Then again, he could always use them as a reference to create a new nin code. Those were always in demand, especially seeing as the Villages like to make it a habit to keep themselves up to date with the other Villages' crypto-secrets. Then again, it was a little too easy to break.

"...are you even listening to me gloat?" demanded Mizuki.

"Not really," he admitted. "I was too busy thinking about the future. Something you were never very good at, even as a kid."

Mizuki's eyes narrowed. "If you're going to taunt me, then you better be prepared for a pummelling."

"As ever," Iruka answered defiantly. He coiled instinctively, bracing himself for the impact of Mizuki's foot against his ribs, but the attack never came. Instead, he heard a groan and the sound of a body falling down on the forest floor. Hesitant, he opened one eye and saw Naruto smiling triumphantly from one of the trees, a gun on his hand. Besides him, Kiba looked mildly surprised.

"What happened to him?" Iruka asked, nursing his raw wrists. "One second he was about to vent, and now it looks as if he's sleeping."

"I paralyzed him," Naruto answered simply.

"Well, I can see that much," Iruka said wryly. "I'm more concerned with the how, to be exact. Did you use your gun? I thought you could only Summon your Espers with them."

"That's the original idea," he admitted. Mizuki murmured something incomprehensible, drawing their attention. Naruto pointed a gun at Mizuki's feet and pressed the trigger. The ground opened a bit and grabbed the man's ankles before dragging them a couple of inches down. "Security measure," the boy explained and sat on the ground, resting his gun against his thigh. "You see, Summoning, for me, takes more than just hand seals and a gun. I need to have the Esper junctioned as my Prime."

"Care to elaborate?"

"It's sort of like having another person occupy your head except these Espers aren't normally as chatty," Naruto answered, scratching his cheek in thought. "Anyway, having one of them junctioned to me gives me the advantage of some of their powers. It also gives my chakra an elemental property. For example, if I junctioned Valefor, my chakra would have a wind property to it."

"So what you did back there wasn't some kind of elemental jutsu, like that Katon jutsu that Sasuke likes to use so much?" Kiba asked, sitting right besides Naruto.

Naruto nodded. "My chakra naturally takes form of one of the elements. That's why it's always a risk to use it on other people. And even if I wasn't junctioned to an Esper..." He trailed off and gave Iruka a meaningful look. "My chakra can still be quite aggressive. That said, I was junctioned to Ixion, who had an elemental affinity to lightning. With the help of the gun, I was able to hit Mizuki-sensei from afar, because my gun can form the chakra into a bullet and shoot it in the same way that a bow would shoot an arrow."

"So it's like with your other gun, except you don't use bullets to hit your target," Kiba spoke thoughtfully. "Just your chakra. Any chance I can have one of those guns of yours?"

"You're a close-range fighter Kiba," Naruto said, grinning slightly. "The gun will just slow you down."

"I'd still like to have one, just in case."

"Maybe when I've found a way to keep them from becoming a nuisance during combat. Why do you think I never carry it around with me?'

"But you already have that one," Kiba complained.

"It's tied to my bloodline, remember?"

"I'll trade it for Akamaru."

Akamaru growled and barked his protest. Iruka laughed, "Well there you have it. He doesn't seem too fond with the idea of having a different master, Kiba." He tugged the scroll free from Mizuki's back and took a peek inside, wondering what Mizuki had taken. "Oh hell."

"Anything wrong, sensei?" Kiba asked.

Iruka hastily closed the scroll and looked up at two pairs of questioning eyes. "It's _the_ Forbidden Scroll."

* * *

"You okay, Naruto?"

"Just a mild headache, Kiba," Naruto answered, sliding into the seat besides Kiba. He adjusted the hitai-ate on his forehead consciously—Obasan was adamant about that, saying that hitai-ates should be worn on the forehead—and leaned back, sighing audibly.

"Do you think we'll be in the same team?" Kiba matched his sigh with another one and slumped forward. "This whole wait is killing me."

"Not as much as it's killing me," Chouji groaned from a seat below them. He was eating twice as fast, which meant that he was nervous about something. "I always get picked last when it comes to things like this."

"Well, if we were doing this by choice, then I'll be sure to pick you first," Naruto promised. After a quick elbow from Kiba, he added, "Well, after I choose Kiba anyway."

"You'd rather pick him over me?" One of the kunoichis asked.

Naruto gave her his most sincere smile and spoke gently, "Oh, but Akiko-chan, don't you want to be with your friends, Michiko-chan and Reiko-chan? This is a three-man team after all. I wouldn't want to replace one of your friends, wouldn't you agree?"

"Oh, yes," Akiko spoke, fluttering her eyelashes in an attempt to look flirtatious. "You're always so thoughtful, Naruto-kun."

"How the hell do you do that?" Shikamaru demanded.

"Diplomacy."

"Tch, that's too troublesome," he grumbled. "Isn't there an easier way to shut them up?"

"You can always just ask," Ino added, taking a seat besides Shikamaru.

"And risk injury? No thanks."

"Settle down, everyone," Iruka called from in front of the classroom. "First of all, I'd like to congratulate every one of you. Well done! You've passed. However, as genins, you still have a long way to go. Thus, as we do with every other batch of genins, you will also be placed in three-man teams under a jounin-sensei. Remember, learning doesn't end, even after school is over." There were a couple of groans from some of the genins, but Iruka ignored them.

Naruto remained quiet this time and listened carefully as each name was called out. Though these people weren't as close to Naruto as the others, he still felt responsible to learn their names and a little about each of them. After all, if he was going to be Hokage someday, he would need to know the people he was leading. To a point at least.

He was sad to note that Chouji was placed in Sasuke and Sakura's team, and even sadder once he found out that Kiba would be teaming up with Hinata and Shikamaru.

"Team 11, Uzumaki Naruto," Iruka intoned proudly, "Yamanaka Ino, and Aburame Shino. That is all. Your jounin-senseis will come to pick you up after lunch. In the mean time, you all have free time to get to know your teams or have lunch together with them, if you wish. Let's meet back at one. Is that reasonable?"

The class answered a yes, more or less and began to file out the room. "Well, I guess you're stuck with me," Naruto teased Ino, who appeared to be slightly surprised by Iruka's choice of team members.

"I had resigned myself to another Ino-Shika-Cho combo," admitted Ino.

"Is that unfortunate for you, Ino-san?" Shino inquired politely, taking a seat besides Naruto.

"Not really. I mean, my father might complain a little, but other than that..." Ino shrugged.

"To be honest, I was hoping I would have Chouji in my team," Naruto spoke, clearly embarrassed. "Not a lot of people are willing to interact with him, you see. It would have been nice if I could look out for him."

"I do not understand your disappointment," Shino spoke. "Chouji is one of the lowest-ranking genins in our batch. Having him on the team might be detrimental."

Ino frowned and was about to protest when Naruto replied, "I think he has a lot of potential as a shinobi. He is hard-working and he gets good results when he puts his mind into something. Unfortunately, he also has a bit of an inferiority complex problem, and that will get in the way of his improvement. Because he doesn't think that he's good enough, he won't try hard enough. I'm afraid his team members won't be of much help either."

"Yeah, Sakura's too busy hero-worshipping Sasuke to help Chouji positively," Ino agreed.

"Sasuke will likely treat Chouji more as a nuisance than as a productive team member," Shino added.

"Glad that you share my views," Naruto said wryly. "The best I can do for him now is to continue training with him during our free time. If we'll get any. I heard a lot of the jounin-senseis can be very strict."

"We'll make time for him," Ino promised. "His father is friends with mine, so I feel responsible for him too."

"I think helping him will be counterproductive to our team," Shino began and paused. "...But that is only my opinion. I will help as well, if need be."

"I had to round these two up," Kiba announced with a sigh, dragging Shikamaru with one hand, and Hinata with the other. "How else can I share Naruto's lunch with my two new teammates?"

"_My_ lunch?" Naruto asked and laughed slightly. "You should have told me. Then I would have packed more." He offered a bento box to Hinata who accepted it with a blush. "It's a real pity we're not on the same team, Kiba."

"I hear ya," Kiba sighed dramatically. "I'll just have to content myself with Hinata's cooking from now on."

"Is that the only thing I'm good for?"

"Yes," Kiba answered in mock-seriousness, munching on an onigiri.

"From the looks of it, your friend Chouji is interacting with Sakura. They are eating lunch together," Shino observed, after taking a look from one of the windows inside their classroom.

"That's nice at least," Naruto noted. "Maybe there's hope for him yet."

Ino took a peek as well and made a face. "_Sure_ they're eating together, but it seems to me that Sakura's venting on Chouji right now."

Shikamaru grimaced. "Poor Chouji. He doesn't deserve teammates like that."

"Speaking of which, will you guys look out for Chouji too?" Naruto asked.

"He's my friend," Shikamaru pointed out.

"And he's nice," Kiba added. "Sure, we'll help him, won't we, Hinata?"

"H-hai," Hinata stuttered and blushed a deep red.

They talked about other subjects as well, and speculated on the jounin-senseis that they would be getting. Naruto knew a couple of jounins who were friends with Obasan, but most of them would be retiring very soon, so the possibility of having one of them as a jounin-sensei was very close to none. When the bell finally rang, they moved back to their respective seats and waited for the other genins to trickle back in. No sooner was the class complete when the first of the jounin-senseis appeared to take her team. The young woman wore clothes that looked a lot like bandages and had eyes of a ruby red. She picked up Team 8, Kiba's team and disappeared with them into the hallway. Akiko was the next to go, unhappy at the fact that she was not able to be with her dream team. Her jounin-sensei was also a girl, though this one wore the standard jounin uniform, unlike the first one.

"Team 11? Follow me." A tall man in his late twenties with two scars adorning a rigid, impassive face called from the door.

Naruto exchanged looks with his teammates and stood up. The three of them followed their jounin-sensei out of the Academy and into the streets, remaining quiet for most of the trip. Naruto felt a genjutsu wash over them and itched to remove it. However, the genjutsu didn't come from the man in the trench coat, and Naruto wanted to trace the origin of the jutsu.

"Excuse me, sensei." Shino spoke up. "I'd just like to point out that someone has used a genjutsu on us."

So he noticed too, huh? Naruto thought wryly, still searching for the source.

"Ah," the man gave Shino a backwards glance. "That's just a security measure, boy. I'm not about to let you know where the TAI headquarters are. Not until I'm sure I want to be your jounin-sensei."

"TAI?" Ino inquired.

"Torture and Investigation," supplied Naruto, still somewhat distracted.

"What do you mean by 'not sure'?" Shino stopped and stared at their sensei intensely.

"I mean that until you show you have promise, I'm not going to accept you three as my students."

"Why the secret?" Ino demanded.

"Because TAI is part of the ANBU division," answered Naruto, finally turning his attention back to them. "Information about the ANBU is often classified on a need-to-know basis, right, Ibiki-sensei?"

"You know each other?"

"We've met," Ibiki-sensei spoke, motioning for them to move once more. "That's Taichou, by the way. Don't call me sensei."

"His mother is Obasan—my legal guardian," Naruto clarified. "My question is: why you, Taichou? You're not actually a jounin anymore. After all, you're part of ANBU. If I remember correctly, ANBU are rank-less, right?"

"The Sandaime specially requested me to become a jounin-sensei this year," Taichou grumbled unhappily. "I agreed as long as I could get a Yamanaka in the bargain."

"You wanted me?" Ino was incredulous at the thought.

"Your clan specializes on mind jutsus, which means that I can use you specifically to extract information from our subjects." He opened the door to his office and let them in, motioning for them to sit. "Shizuru, you can dispel the jutsu if you want to."

"The blond boy already dispelled it for me," Shizuru said. She was leaning against the wall behind Taichou's chair, her arms crossed.

"Great. So much for secrecy." Taichou didn't seem too pleased. He sat down as well and turned to face his students. "The Sandaime tells me that I have to administer some kind of test to see whether or not you three deserve the title genin. As Naruto pointed out earlier, ANBU are technically rank-less."

"To put it simply, he means that administering a test would be pointless, if the three of you aren't technically genins anymore." Shizuru added.

"Wait, so by becoming your students," Ino spoke slowly, "we've become ANBU?"

"Yes," Taichou confirmed. "Although the Sandaime wishes for you to remain under the pretence of being genins for a little while longer. He doesn't want to show favouritism, apparently, and so you three will still be regarded as genins despite being under my care. A load of bull, if you ask me, but I'm not about to go against my superior's wishes."

"Just a moment ago you told us you still had to 'accept' us as your students," Ino spoke. "So if you don't want to administer a test..."

"You already passed," Shizuru said, smiling eerily. "Why do you think Taichou kept answering your questions? For that matter, why do you think he let you in his office?"

"If that's the case, then what was the test about?"

"Normally, I would have tested the three of you on your teamwork skills," Taichou said. "But when you're in this line of work, gathering information is more important. You knew the right questions to ask, your teammates were very observant and caught the _subtle_ genjutsu that Shizuru used to try and mislead you, and Naruto here already had some prior knowledge about the TAI division."

"One of them was also able to pinpoint the location of the headquarters," Shizuru said and turned her gaze towards Shino. "Your insects were draining some of the genjutsus that were tied to this building. If you can ask them to desist? Those genjutsus _are_ there for a reason."

"Of course," Shino said.

"Teamwork skills, on the other hand," Taichou continued, "are acquirable, given an amount of time. Besides, the thought of you three having a teamwork that is comparable to our ANBU squads is just ludicrous. After all, you've barely interacted with each other, and to act as a team on the first try is more instinctive than anything. Personally, to test you on something like that would be both unfair and unrealistic. This is why only so few academy graduates actually become genin. There is also the fact that the Sandaime himself decides on who will be placed in which team. Thus, it is almost a guarantee that every student boasting at least some kind of kekkei genkai will pass, given that he puts them in a team where there is a potential for teamwork. After all, these are the next generation brood of his council members, and they would be very unhappy if their children did not pass."

"But that's just stupid," Ino protested almost immediately. Shino looked perturbed.

"I agree, but as I've said, there's nothing I can do. I can only gather information and extrapolate from what I've learned."

"Horrible, isn't it?" Shizuru quipped, red eyes watching them intensely.

"How about those people who tried so hard to pass the exams and everything?" Naruto demanded suddenly, staring at the floor because he was too furious to look any of them in the eye. "What will become of them? Are we just going to let them fail because they don't have the clan prestige to back them up?"

"It's the reality of our situation," Taichou replied. "We've tried to tell them that this practice of... of culling out the others has an ultimately negative effect on the village, but they do not listen. They do not know, as we do, that one in every eight criminals we've managed to capture is a former Academy student; that chances are, the mercenaries now working for underground criminal lords used to walk these very streets and dream of becoming a shinobi; and that the reason why very few learning actually occurs within the Academy walls is because we've had cases when the students would turn traitor and run off with our village secrets, so the least we can do is censor most of the important information out. The council wants to trim our numbers so that they can control us shinobi, but they do not think of the consequences of their actions. As such, it is often our responsibility to clean up their mistakes. The Sandaime knows this, and agrees with our views, but he is only one man, and a frail, old one at that."

"You mean the Sandaime can't just do what he wants to do?" Ino looked crestfallen.

"His power comes from others. If they don't respect him, then it's logical to then believe that he has very little power left," Shino reasoned.

"Sad, but true," Naruto agreed, visibly relaxing a bit.

"Anyhow, as much as I would love to continue this conversation, I still have a subject to question," Taichou said, taking a folder from his desk and standing up. "Shizuru will be briefing you about my expectations and whatnot. Since I am a very busy man, she will act as your jounin-sensei in my place. Understood?"

"Hai, Taichou," the three spoke in unison.

"Taichou?" Naruto called, after a moment's thought.

"What is it?"

"Are you done question Mizuki-sensei?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Why did he try to kidnap to Iruka-sensei?"

Taichou paused and stared at the doorknob. Finally, he said, "He knew you were attached to Iruka and was planning to use him to lure you out. Afterwards, he would force you to turn into a missing-nin and kill Iruka. They would put a bounty on your head for killing a shinobi and stealing the Forbidden Scroll, thinking that it was in your possession. He would then use the scroll for his own means."

Red appeared in Naruto's peripheral vision, smiling triumphantly. "Scapegoat, just like I said."

* * *

A/N: Blame Sarah1281 for putting that particular theory in my head. Now Ibiki's suspicious and paranoid too. (It's called, 'Yay We Passed' by the way.)

Other than that, I really have nothing else to say. This chapter is long enough as it is.


	4. Underneath the Underneath

Chapter Three – Underneath the Underneath

Naruto slammed against the grassy floor of the forest interior and rolled to lessen the impact, before coming to a complete stop a few inches from Shizuru-sensei's sandaled feet. Behind him, Shino landed and fell on one knee while Ino, the last to arrive, stumbled backwards and fell on her ass. "Just in record time too," Shizuru-sensei commented to no one in particular, a slight smile on her lips. Naruto grunted as he straightened his back and saluted smartly to Shizuru-sensei. The others followed suit, before proceeding to brush the dirt out of their clothes. The older woman let out a slow, deliberate sigh and added. "Would it kill you to stop doing that?"

"Taichou says that we have to salute to our superiors as a sign of respect," Ino reminded her and grinned.

"Well, Taichou's a little too uptight, if you ask me," Shizuru-sensei sniffed. "Now settle down on the ground, there are a few things I'd like to discuss today." Her three students obeyed without much comment, sitting a few feet away from her. "It's been a little over two weeks now since you've began your life as... genin. What do you think so far? Any complaints?"

The three exchanged looks. Ino spoke carefully, "We were taught in the Academy to swallow our complaints and do whatever our superiors asked us to do. What you're asking from us is..."

"Unorthodox? My dear, this is only the beginning. How do you think we are able to glean well-kept secrets from our enemies and our allies? Because we followed our orders? Because we never questioned our superiors? No. Our job is more than just torturing criminals. It's finding out the whole, unsavoury truth."

"So you're encouraging us to go against the teachings of our former senseis in favour of the truth?" Shino inquired passively, his voice void of any emotion.

"Yes," Shizuru-sensei answered triumphantly, "exactly the point!"

"Then, let me be the first to complain," Ino said, leaning forward. "These weights are fucking killing me!"

The two boys looked at Ino incredulously. "Such language is unbecoming," Naruto commented, though from his smiling expression, Ino knew he was merely teasing.

"I'm just saying the whole, unsavoury truth," Ino replied with a sniff. "Besides, I've been waiting to whine about this to someone for _days_. If we hadn't collectively agreed to keep our training a secret from the others, I would have whined to my parents and my friends a long time ago." She scratched her cheek and looked at them thoughtfully. "Though I must admit, it is to our advantage, it's still a bitch to wear every single day."

"Very eloquently said, Ino," Shizuru-sensei praised. "Though I would advise you to keep the foul language out of the conversation next time, if possible. I may encourage such bold words, but others will not."

"A self-contradictory statement, considering you wish for us to question our superiors. If we are not allowed to say expletives simply because others will disapprove, than we should not question others because of that same reason," Shino observed.

"And rightly so, but I have an ulterior motive for being self-contradictory. How else can you root out the illogic in my words?" Shizuru-sensei asked lightly. "Don't take everything I say at face value. Sometimes, I can be just as misleading as others, despite the fact that I am your direct superior. If anything, I am the one you should be wary of the most."

"How will we learn if everything you say is misleading?" Naruto countered, liking the atmosphere of this particular conversation. Normally, he would not speak up out of convention, but if encouraged to do otherwise...

"By hearing out whatever I have to say and rejecting the information you think is false using other information, particularly information coming from more valid sources." Shizuru-sensei continued on matter-of-factly. "Do you think that everything an informant tells us is correct? Sometimes, they might say a version of what they truly believe is true, but when compared to other information found, says otherwise. This is the reality of our trade. If you do not learn to identify accurate information on your own, then you are not fit for this job." She tilted her head and folded her arms. "But that is a lecture for another day. Shall we return to our original topic before this lengthy tangent?"

"Well, the courier work in itself is a smart idea," Ino admitted. "It's a bit too early, in my opinion, but I guess I just like sleeping in. I also think the other genin would benefit doing more work like this, with the stamina training and whatnot, you know? But I don't know if they'll appreciate it or not. They might just see it as another D-rank mission to do. Oh, and hey, I get to see places in Konohagakure I've never seen before, so that's also a plus." She paused. "That's really all I could think to say." As an afterthought she added hastily, "I did like the jutsu training as well, because my family doesn't really focus on jutsus outside the family expertise. The uh, the afternoon D-rank missions are a bit of a bore, but I guess we have to do them to build our credentials, like Naruto said. Lastly, I think the afternoon lessons are interesting, if a bit strange and hard to follow at times. The mind games are pretty fun though, and I thoroughly enjoyed them."

"I wasn't really asking for you to share your opinion about everything, Ino, but I do appreciate your willingness to contribute to the group. Very good of you," Shizuru-sensei said, giving the child an encouraging nod. "How about you, Shino, what do you think?"

"Frankly, I need more time to assess whether or not our daily activities are impacting us positively. For instance, though we have been working with the courier nins as part of our training every day for the past two weeks, I have yet to see an improvement in my overall physiology. That's not to say that I'm criticizing your training, Sensei. Simply put, two weeks is a short time to look for improvements. As such, until I have a more accurate summation of our daily activities, I cannot judge, nor can I complain about what we are currently doing as a team."

"A diplomatic answer, Shino, but a true one at that. I'll make a note to ask your opinion again in the future. And you, Naruto?"

Naruto took a deep breath and faced his companions, "The courier work feels a bit impersonal to me, and the time limit imposed on us means we can't stay around to interact with the other villagers. I suppose that's all and well for efficiency but that doesn't make it any more appealing to me. I do agree that it is a good way to train and I have no objections with it continuing. I suppose I'm just a bit strange like that," he admitted with a laugh. "The jutsu training we have, on the other hand, is mostly review for me. I know it's kind of arrogant for me to say this," he said slowly, eyeing his teammates with a hint of trepidation, "but it's the truth. I wish we'd move on to more high-level jutsus, but I know that we can't because neither of you have enough experience to do those just yet—not that I'm trying to be offending," he added hastily. "Other than that though, I really have no complaints with what we're doing. I understand perfectly what the D-rank missions are for, and the psychology training we do in the afternoon is certainly interesting."

"Very good, you three. Your assessment skills leave much to be desired, but that is not something that cannot be remedied in due time, I'm sure." Shizuru-sensei paused, carefully choosing her words next. "But gauging your assessment skills was not the only reason why I implored you to make critical comments of your training, nor was it simply because I felt that you needed to think for yourselves, rather than follow another's orders blindly. I asked because I sincerely wished to know how you thought of your current training regime. In fact, I am willing to adjust it so that it will suit your needs more. You, after all, are the best judges when it comes to _your _progress.

"That said, I have decided to change some of the more blatant problems with your training. Naruto," she said, nodding to her young charge, "since you feel restless when your teammates study jutsus with you, I am handing over the full responsibility of teaching jutsus over to you. You have shown a great proficiency in performing various B-, C-, and D-rank jutsus, so I believe it is best if you take over as their sensei, at least in that regard. This will be beneficial to all of us. It will free me of my morning duties so that I will be of more use as Taichou's second-in-command, and it will allow you an opportunity to learn what it means to be a sensei. It is a thankless job, and only those with a limitless amount of patience can endure the hardships of a sensei, but I am sure that you are more than capable for the job. Another benefit to this change is that you three will be able to interact more as a team. Without me to interfere, I'm sure you will be able to feel more comfortable around each other and really learn about each other's strengths and weaknesses.

"I am not showing favouritism to Naruto; truly, this isn't the case. I just feel that he has the potential to become a great leader, and what better way to start working on that potential now than to have him teach the two of you. Are we agreed upon this?"

"I still think it's a bit unfair whatever your reasoning is," Ino admitted wryly. "But I suppose that's just the jealousy talking. Naruto's a good person, and I doubt he'll abuse the opportunity you've given him. Besides, I've seen him teaching some of the younger generation, and from the gossip I've garnered, his teaching seems to have a positive influence on the others."

"I too, am in agreement," Shino spoke concisely.

"On the issue of teaching my teammates," Naruto spoke, seemingly embarrassed by this sudden offer of responsibility, "though I have no complaints with it, especially when my teammates are not unwelcome to the idea, I cannot help but wonder how I should go about training them. Will I be choosing the jutsus for them to learn, or will you be providing a list of some sort? After all, you, more than I, would know what is beneficial for an ANBU team, even one in training."

"Good question, Naruto," Shizuru-sensei acknowledged, using the long sleeves of her kimono to hide the smile that had unwittingly graced her lips. "Yes, I will be providing the jutsu scrolls that your team will need to learn, though the order in which you will teach them is entirely up to you. I trust your judgement on which jutsu should be a priority to learn."

"Another question, if I may, Sensei," Naruto spoke carefully. "As most of these jutsus are open to the public, and not some exclusive secret meant for only an elite few, do I have your permission to teach these jutsus outside our group? I am sure that some of our year-mates will find these jutsus helpful as well."

"As long as their jounin-senseis are in accordance to your plan, I see no reason to object. I'm sure some of the other genin will be busy with their duties, but if they do find the time to train with you as well, then I suppose it's for the best. Just keep in mind that not every sensei is as welcome to the idea as I am," she reminded him. "Though you speak ideally, the reality may not be to your liking. Some senseis will be less than eager to share their students' time with you." The words, "especially with _you_" remained unspoken, but Naruto heard them all the same. Her expression, though often carefully guarded and well-masked, let slip that bit of information, perhaps intentionally. Why she would not voice them out loud was unusual, however. Perhaps she did not trust the forest enough to share some of her secrets with it. Perhaps it was something she wished only for Naruto to know. A question for another day, the boy thought to himself.

"Thank you, sensei for the warning," Naruto said, bowing awkwardly from his sitting position. "I will be sure to talk to their senseis about it in my free time. If they prove to be as uncooperative as you deem them to be, then I will not pursue the matter."

Shizuru-sensei smiled. "Wonderful! Now, seeing as we've wasted enough time as it is with this little chat of ours, we will forego training with jutsus for today altogether. Also, it would be unfair of me to expect Naruto to readily take over in training you two. Why don't we head to the Hokage Tower, instead, and beg the Sandaime for a mission? Perhaps he will feel generous and give you a more exciting mission than usual."

As it turned out, the Sandaime was feeling less then generous when the four of them arrived in his office. Sasuke's team was proving to be a difficult team to please, and Sakura, who was surprisingly vocal for once, refused to take on the D-rank mission that the Hokage offered them, specifically the one involving a certain cat owned by the Daimyo's wife.

"That cat ruined my dress the last time we chased after it," Sakura grumbled. "Besides, it always takes so _long_ to catch it. I bet we can do better things like train, right, Sasuke-kun?"

The boy grunted ambivalently. His own crossed arms and sour expression betrayed what he felt however, and it was obvious to all in the room that he wasn't eager to get this mission as well.

"If they truly don't want the mission, I suppose we can look for Tora ourselves," Naruto offered. He exchanged looks with his teammates and saw them nod in agreement. "What do you think, Sensei?"

"If the Hokage consents, I see no reason to object," Shizuru-sensei answered diplomatically, smoothing the creases of her kimono.

"I suppose if Team 7 isn't up for the job, then Team 11 will do," the Sandaime spoke, frowning unhappily at Kakashi's young charges. Chouji, who was afraid of his teammates' scorn, remained quiet.

"Will you lead the way, Shino?" Naruto asked and smiled encouragingly at the other boy who was fast becoming a trustworthy friend. The bug-user nodded and the three disappeared soundlessly, the notes on the Hokage's desk barely moving at all.

* * *

Chouji fiddled with his scarf, half-listening to the ongoing conversation with growing apprehension. Normally, he would have been munching on a snack by now, especially when he was feeling this nervous. However, after being relentlessly criticized by Sakura, who felt that image was very important indeed, he had stopped eating in front of them completely.

It was a pity that Naruto and his teammates were gone. They were some of the few people who actually treated Chouji decently, and he wished he could talk to them, at least for a little while. That hope had been quickly dashed when they offered to look for Tora themselves. Chouji knew how much of a pain it was to hunt for that sly cat, having to endure two hours' worth of combing through the entire village to find the damn thing, once before. He doubted that he would see them again—at least, not until after the sun had set. Sometimes Naruto (and even Shino and Ino if the two weren't busy) would be waiting for him outside his family's compound, and they would both go to one of the training areas for some light sparring. Among the training grounds, Area 51 was a favourite because it was near the food district, and often they would eat there after a nice long workout. Naruto was a good friend, and he really looked out for Chouji; Shikamaru too, when he wasn't too busy with Kurenai-sensei's surprisingly strict training regime.

Chouji's thoughts had shifted to thinking about his childhood best friend, and wondering how Shikamaru was faring under his new sensei, when the door behind them opened rather abruptly.

"Why didn't you go with us this time, Sensei?" Ino asked, looking a little bit hurt though she hadn't stopped stroking Tora's head. "I mean, we were kind of surprised when you didn't appear besides us as you normally would."

"I was confident of your skills, and knew that you would not require my help in so simple a mission," their sensei answered mildly. Chouji would have flinched from that particular comment if he wasn't so surprised himself. Chasing after Tora was the very bane of the D-rank mission list. It was, to the agreement of many genin, the least-liked mission of all, and most genin who had taken the mission before took great measures never to get that particular mission again, if possible. In fact, some genin had even devised a schedule of when that mission was most likely to appear once more, simply so that they could avoid it. Chouji had decided not to tell Sakura or Sasuke about this, because he found that every time he spoke up, his words were not taken seriously, and even made fun of, at times. Kakashi was slightly more sympathetic, but even then, he barely spoke to the young Akimichi's defense. Chouji felt like a rat cornered, except that unlike a rat, he was less likely to fight back.

Seeing them complete the mission in no less than two minutes though was quite the surprise, and a feat that not many genin could do nor brag about.

"You speak so highly of us, Sensei, it's all we can do but meet your expectations," Naruto spoke and grinned. There was no trace of arrogance in his voice, yet Chouji knew that Sasuke or Sakura would probably interpret such words as being arrogant.

"We'll just take this one," Kakashi-sensei finally said, speaking up for the first time since they entered the room. The Sandaime nodded approvingly and gave them their mission briefing, after instructing Ino to give the cat to one of his assistants. The job wasn't hard, nor was it time-consuming at all. Chouji had expected to hear Sakura complain once more—perhaps on how it was too easy this time—but seeing her stare furiously at Ino, Chouji knew that she would not speak up this time. Not when Team 11 had just indirectly insulted Team 7's capabilities. She (and most likely Sasuke), would see Team 11's actions as a challenge, from one rival to the other, and of course, the only way to respond to such a challenge was to outdo the other group.

Chouji sighed. Here we go again.

* * *

"That was very uncharacteristic of you, Naruto," Ino noted as they walked to their next destination: a small, rickety house near the edge of a great forest that covered the southern part of the village. Their second mission for that day was to help the old woman with some of the more taxing chores that she could not do herself, a job that her great-grandson had given to the Hokage for him to dispense as a D-rank mission.

"It is uncharacteristic of me to brag of our achievements, you mean," Naruto said in a tone that was flat, rather than inquiring.

"Normally, you would have done something that was more unobtrusive and inoffensive," Shino added.

"What I mean—and I think Shino agrees with me here—is that you normally wouldn't do something that would bring out the ire of others," Ino clarified.

"Ah, I see," Naruto spoke and tilted his head, ostensibly deep in thought. "Do you truly see such a pleasant and idealistic individual in me? I assure you, I am far from that role model which you seem to take for granted at times."

Ino frowned but was unable to think of anything to say; Naruto's words rung a truth that she was less than eager to admit. "But you wouldn't act the way you do, if not for that idealistic image we all have of you."

The young shinobi sighed and leaned his head against intertwined fingers. "That is true, I suppose. I spent several years building a credible image of myself, if only so that others would trust me."

"And trust you we do," Ino said, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the fact that she was broaching a rather sensitive subject. She spared a glance at Shizuru-sensei's direction, but the woman wore an impassive face and walked on as if unaware of the conversation her students were having. Shino, on the other hand, seemed to trust Ino enough to leave all the talking to her. She sighed audibly and continued, "But the way you offered our services to the Hokage... It was almost as if you were making a point, and a sore one at that for Sakura and Sasuke to get severely rattled and riled up."

This time, it was Naruto's turn to sigh. "If there is anything I've learned from observing the Sandaime for so long, it is that discretion can only take you so far. Though I've tried to be polite and friendly to Sasuke in the past, I fear that my usual methods with him did not work. Since Sakura is within his sphere of influence, even she is beginning to see me more as a threat, than as a possible friend. As such, I feel that I must treat them differently. From a casual outsider's perspective, I have been nothing but polite, when I offered that we take that mission instead. However, I knew that Sasuke and Sakura would take my words personally and see my—and our—actions as a challenge. If anything, our actions will spur them to work harder as a team, and maybe develop a better relationship as a group. If they see a common enemy in me, or us if you prefer, then they would be more united together against me."

"How about Chouji? Chouji wouldn't think badly of you," Ino interjected.

"I will explain the matter to him, leaving no room for misinterpretation. Chouji is a good friend, and I would not like to lose his friendship, if possible. However, I still must acknowledge the fact that he is roped in a team that will likely show even more animosity against me in the future. The least I can do is give him an advantage by continuing to be his friend, while at the same time, becoming an obstacle that his teammates would want to overcome. If they know we are friends, then they will interact with Chouji in the hopes of learning more about me. They might even learn some of the training we have been doing with Chouji, which they would in turn mimic—in secret if they like. This would ultimately lead to their improvement. If I must be the scapegoat in this case, then so be it."

"But if they learn of our training, then it will be to our disadvantage," Shino pointed out, adjusting his spectacles in what Ino knew to be a sign of discomfort. It appeared that the boy did not appreciate Naruto's plan.

"Would it? We are all Konoha shinobi after all. It is not like we are enemies," Naruto reminded him. "Besides, as long as we continue to improve at this rate, then their chance of catching up to us is close to nil, to be honest. Chouji might know of how we train, but even if he is prompted to teach them, they would have to get over the idea of having a—and excuse me for the term I am about to use—a 'dead last' teaching them first. Not only that, but even Chouji isn't privy to all of the things we've been doing these past two weeks. Why worry?"

"You raise a valid point," Ino said, sighing in defeat. "Still, to have you do something like that so abruptly..."

"I believe it is because of the sudden weight of responsibility that I have placed on Naruto," Shizuru-sensei finally spoke, moving ahead of them to place a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "The responsibility probably sobered him to the fact that he can't be everyone's friend; that there will come a time when leadership will have him do things for the good of the people, but would further distance them from him. In the case of Team 7, he is sacrificing the possibility of befriending them in favour of seeing them develop into a better team."

Naruto looked startled and gazed at Shizuru-sensei suspiciously. "How did you know?"

"I've been in this trade long enough that I can accurately speculate on a person's motives," she answered with a mysterious smile and wink. "I'm sure that someday, the three of you will also boast such prowess in reading another person. For now though, you'll have to suffer through this dull and mindless work, an appropriate past time for genin of your calibre!" she crowed gleefully.

The three shared exasperated looks before hurrying to the house to start on their work. Their sensei was an odd one at times, and was known to tease and insult others when she was in a good mood. Still, she was a commendable sensei, and they enjoyed working with her for the most part.

Shino had a good talk with the house's termites, persuading them to leave the house's foundation alone for the more succulent wood in the forest. Ino, who knew a thing or three about growing herbs and flowers, had commanded Naruto to leave some clones with her to help out with the weeding, among other things. The original Naruto, on the other hand, was in the back, working on the laundry with an enthusiasm that was unsettling. The old woman was quite pleased with their work ethic and happily chatted with Shizuru-sensei over a cup of tea, praising her students several times. She even ruffled Shino's head when he offered to wash their cups, much to the boy's consternation.

By the time they were finished with their chores, the old woman had returned from a long walk to the village interior with a Naruto clone at her side, carrying a very heavy watermelon. She offered a piece to each of them, and insisted that they eat some before they leave. They accepted graciously and savoured the cool taste of the watermelon, after hours of hot, sweaty work. Shizuru-sensei, who had been called away for a brief while to talk to some of her inferiors, came back to find the three of them leaning against the elevated floor of the small house, their gazes content, their bellies full.

* * *

_Come to Training Ground 38. I've already sent a note to the Courier Nins that you will not be reporting to them today, or for a while, for that matter. Pack whatever necessities you need for a two-week outing, but be sure to pack light, else I will personally go through your things and remove what is not necessary._

The words were concise, and written in a long cursive, something which Naruto had not anticipated. Normally, when Shizuru-sensei sent notes to them, it was written in code, to emphasize their need to learn how to decrypt such messages.

This means that being there on time is important, Naruto thought as he began stuffing his bag with food scrolls and whatnot for the long trip. More so than secrets anyway, he added ruefully to himself. Once he was done packing, he hesitated before opening the pocket of space where he hid his gun, a useful little technique he had learned from Minato-san. He placed the pack there, all the while mentally checking off the things he might have forgotten to bring. Satisfied, he closed the pocket of space with a wave of the hand and left a note on top of the kitchen counter for Obasan to find before leaving via the back door. He felt sorry that he was not able to say good bye to Obasan personally, but from the urgency of Shizuru-sensei's note, he knew that he could not waste time.

Shino was already there when he arrived, along with Shizuru-sensei and another woman dressed in a standard jounin uniform. He nodded to Shino and opened the pocket of space once more, so that Shino could also deposit his belongings inside the other-space. Naruto had told them early on that he had access to such a place because of his bloodline, and had offered to carry their things in the future, if such was the need for them to travel far from the village. He made sure to place Shino's belongings separate from his own, before creating a key for Shino to use, in case he needed to access his things and Naruto was not with him. He handed the key to Shino now and gave him some brief instructions on how to use it, after which he prepared another pocket space for Ino to use. When the girl arrived, grumbling about waking up at five in the morning, Naruto offered her the use of a pocket-space as well. That had lightened the young girl's mood considerably, and by the time the three were ready to get their briefing from Shizuru-sensei, Ino was no longer in such a foul mood to begin with.

"We have received word from one of our Wave contacts that their economy seems to have trouble recovering from a shipping monopoly led by a very influential man named Gato. Our contact believes that those who tire of Gato's influence have decided to band together and build a bridge linking the Land of Waves and the Land of Fire, thus breaking Gato's influence over them. In fact, our contact believes that this group's leader is in Konoha right now, seeking some possible protection against Gato's men. We know this to be true, having heard that the Sandaime had just recently handed Team 8 a C-rank mission to protect a bridge-builder named Tazuna heading, coincidentally, towards the Land of Waves."

The jounin who stood besides Shizuru-sensei continued, "Since the bridge is an opportunity for the Land of Fire to create stronger ties with the Land of Waves, we believe that it is vital for Tazuna-san and his builders to finish what they've started. However, we also heard that Gato might have contracted a few missing-nins to kill those who are a threat to his little shipping monopoly. As such, the Hokage has requested that we send backup to aid Team 8 in case the resistance they meet is too much for their current levels. He would have sent a more _experienced_ force," the woman spoke blithely, her forest green eyes cold, "but that would draw unwanted attention. As such, he has decided to send another genin team instead, with a boundary patrol mission as their guise."

"Natsuki-chan, I mean, Natsuki-_sensei_," Shizuru-sensei said hastily, after receiving a glare from her companion, "will be leading the mission for this one, as I am incapable of going outside Konohagakure's walls due to, ah, certain obligations that I have to fulfill. She is an experienced Hunter-nin, and is even willing to impart some of her wisdom with you while on this mission." To Natsuki, she added teasingly, "Natsuki, promise me you'll play nice."

Natsuki-sensei flushed from Shizuru-sensei's words and grunted an affirmative. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"Remember to use those earrings as well if the need arises," Shizuru-sensei reminded them. "They are attuned to the ring that Natsuki-chan wears"—she showed them the ring on Natsuki-sensei's middle finger, a surprising match to the one Shizuru-sensei wore—"and if you us your earring to signal her, she will come running to you as fast as she can."

"Don't use it needlessly though," the blue-haired woman growled. "There's a reason why your Signal device is attached to your ear and not elsewhere. It's very unlikely that you'll be channelling chakra to your ears, and to your Signal device for that matter, so you better have a good excuse if I happen to come running to your aid and find out that you're just messing around. I'm also pretty good with recognizing chakra signatures, so if you think you can push the blame on someone else, don't count on it. You're screwed the moment you do something stupid, you hear me?"

"Don't let her threats get to you though. She may look grumpy all the time, but I assure you, inside, she's actually a very nice and warm person," Shizuru-sensei confided loudly, earning an elbow to her stomach.

"Don't count on it."

* * *

A/N: What's this? A short chapter?! Die, Author-san, die!

LOL. Considering the fact that this chapter was supposed to be an interlude for the coming Wave mission, I didn't really plan for it to be _that_ long. Besides, I just wanted to acknowledge some of the training they were undergoing, without repeating myself too much. After all, most of the training that was mentioned here was also mentioned in the fic, the Summoner's Craft, from which most of this was based. For those who haven't read that though, I sincerely hope that this chapter was able to talk enough about the training for you to get a good idea of what they've been doing for the past two weeks. If there is something unclear, however, you can PM me or leave a review which I will gladly answer this time around. Last time I was too guilty to do anything, and I didn't want to hint at the fact that I was doing a rewrite. This whole project was pretty hush-hush, as it is.

I don't know when the update will be, but I do promise that it will be posted some time this month. I just have to finish my essays and catch up on any other homework that I might have missed. (I am just _that_ stressed_._) Also, I'm looking for a friendly beta-reader (an oxymoron!) who can help me edit my work. It's really tiring and time-consuming for me to re-read a chapter two to three times and find out that I still missed some mistakes! Argh. I think I need two pairs of glasses when I edit things. D8

Anyway, this whole chapter is dedicated to Wanderer D, whose fanfic really motivated me to write. Normally, a length like this would have taken me longer to do, but this chapter was done in the span of two days, which is a new record for me. (I write really _slowly_, as some of you might know.) See? Reading other Naruto fanfics do help! Read, review and recommend!


	5. Out Fishing

Chapter Four – Out Fishing

"Our first and biggest problem," Natsuki began after giving each of her new charges a good, level look, "is the Hyuuga girl. Her Byakugan can see at a 360 degree angle, with just a small blind spot that would be hard to exploit. She can also see everything in a thirty-five metre radius once the Byakugan is activated, not much of a feat for a child her age, though still a big enough problem that we just can't readily ignore. Her teammate is also an Inuzuka, which means that we'll have to hide our scents well if we don't want him to catch wind of us. As such, I have created a workaround in terms of tailing them. Shino will tag them with his little friends, ensuring that we will always know their location. Ino, on the other hand, will use this."

"A scroll?" Ino asked, staring at the huge scroll which was leaning on one of the trees a few feet away. "What am I going to use that scroll for?"

"It's a Summoning Scroll," Natsuki said and kicked it open, showing an array of signatures across the scroll. "Particularly, a scroll used to summon falcons. Normally, such scrolls are privy only to the Hunter division, but seeing as the three of you seem slated to become ANBU in a couple of years, I saw no harm in procuring this scroll and allowing you to sign it."

"I still don't understand how a Summoning scroll will be of use to me," Ino answered weakly, retracting a little for fear that she might have angered her sensei.

"You are quite adept with using the Shintenshin no Jutsu, yes?" At the nod of the young blonde's head, Natsuki continued, "Then you can use that jutsu to ride with the falcon's mind and see what it sees. In that way, you can watch Team 8, thus overcoming the thirty-five metre gap. After all, if we are to follow after them, we'll have to make sure that we are always more than thirty-five metres away from them at any given time, even when she hasn't activated her Byakugan. When something happens to them, however, you must alert us immediately. Remain with them to aid them if need be, but do not make direct contact with them unless instructed to do so." She showed them some throat microphones that were standard issues for all shinobi. "We will be using this to communicate over the long distance, though we'll use this sparingly. They may be useful but they won't last for a long journey. We'll keep them around our throats but turned off until we receive some kind of sign via our Signal Devices. That's the only time we'll use them."

"How about me? If I am to ride with a falcon's mind, how can you communicate with me?" Ino inquired.

"We've thought of a good workaround for that as well," Natsuki spoke matter-of-factly.

Shizuru, who had been listening all this time, added, "Why don't you try that Summoning Contract? I'm sure you'll understand what Natsuki means once you've seen it for yourself."

Ino nodded, though she still looked uncertain of what to do. She bit her thumb and wrote her name quickly on the scroll before closing it and looking up at Natsuki for more instruction.

"The hand seals are boar, dog, bird, monkey and ram. A blood sacrifice is needed in order to complete this technique," Natsuki said concisely, as if quoting from a textbook.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" There was a huge puff of smoke that covered Ino for a moment. When the smoke dispersed, they saw a medium-sized falcon, about a foot and a half tall, on top of Ino's shoulder, its wings spread as it tried to balance itself. Its underbelly was white, with brown flecks while the rest of its body was a warm, gray-brown colour. Its huge black eyes stared at Ino curiously. A couple of feet away, Shino stiffened and looked rather uncomfortable at the sight of the falcon.

"Worry not, brother," the falcon spoke in an effeminate voice, turning her attention to Shino, "I will not harm your companions."

"Shirohane is a Prairie falcon," Natsuki explained. "She prefers small mammals and other birds, so you needn't worry."

"I thank you for the reassurance," Shino spoke dryly and adjusted his spectacles.

"Hello," Ino murmured shyly and grimaced at the feel of Shirohane's claws against her skin. Sensing her master's discomfort, Shirohane flew to a nearby branch and preened herself.

"Hullo, Mistress," the falcon greeted her rather amicably. "You've a talent for summoning it seems. Often, it takes one or two tries before your kind is able to summon us, especially you young 'uns."

"That in part has to do with the extensive training they've been doing in the last few weeks," Shizuru said with just a tiny hint of pride in her voice. "As well as natural ability of course."

"Of course," Natsuki echoed wryly and pointed at the metal ring around Shirohane's leg. "As you can see, she also carries a Signal Device and a sizable amount of chakra, dependent on how much chakra you put into the initial summoning. If need be, you can signal one of us, if there is any trouble. However, since falcons are incapable of turning a throat mic on, you will have to tell us what's wrong via the Signal Device. Since we have a couple of hours before Team 8 departs, I can teach you three a few simple codes to use in conjunction with the Signal Device."

"I have a better idea, Sensei," Naruto interrupted, looking at them thoughtfully. "Though it might be a good idea to teach us how to use our Signal Devices more, I have something in mind that will make communicating with Ino easier."

"Well?" Natsuki said, once it was obvious that Naruto wouldn't say anything further without prompting. "What's this idea of yours?"

"Another Summon," Naruto said. "We can have two falcons follow after Team 8. When Ino needs to tell us something, she'll ask for the other Summon to dispel itself. Then we'd know about it."

"If Ino uses another Summon, it presents us with two problems. First of all, even with her improved chakra capacity, it would still be taxing for her to Summon two falcons at once. Not only that, but we would need her to Summon the falcon in order for us to communicate with it." Shino pointed out. "Perhaps it would be better if the other falcon flies back to us in order to warn us. Unless of course, Natsuki-sensei is willing to Summon the other falcon. With the use of the Signal Devices, we _would_ know when she has dispelled the other Summon."

The blonde boy scratched his cheek and laughed uncertainly. "I suppose I wasn't too clear about what I said and I apologize for that. What I meant was, I would do the Summoning, and have one of my Espers change form into a falcon in order to stay inconspicuous. Once my Summon is dispelled, it would immediately return to me, and I can communicate with it easily through my Mind Link with it."

"That's great and all, but how about afterwards?" Ino countered. "How can I communicate with you then?"

"Shino can have Shirohane bugged with one of his allies so he knows where you are at all times and he can direct my Summon to you once more. Since I have a bigger chakra capacity than you, I can easily Summon another Esper. In fact, what I'll be doing won't even be a full Summoning," Naruto explained. "Watch." He formed the seals for a Fuuton Bunshin and didn't even blink an eye when a clone of himself appeared right beside him. "My bloodline is unique in that I can put an Esper into one of my clones. Also, because clones are made of chakra, and not as solid as real things, they are far easier to mould into another form. Unlike the Henge no Jutsu, which is one of the most basic genjutsus we have, the transformation is real. Valefor, transform into a falcon please," Naruto commanded.

His clone nodded and formed an obscure hand seal that not even Natsuki nor Shizuru recognized. "Shinsei Henge no Jutsu!" A falcon appeared in his place.

"I can communicate with Oujo-sama, and relay any information to Naruto, if she so pleases," the other falcon spoke, preening its light-coloured feathers. Shirohane eyed him curiously, but did not seem at all bothered by him, which was strange for a normally territorial animal. Perhaps it was because she was a Summon Beast.

"Well, if you can do all that, why can't I just use Shintenshin no Jutsu on your Esper?" Ino asked, after recovering from the initial shock of having Naruto reveal so many of his clan secrets to them so easily. Normally, shinobi were more secretive about their jutsus, which is why not many knew about Naruto's bloodline in the first place, only his closest friends. But to tell us about his jutsus... Ino mused. Perhaps this means he sees us as close friends too? That would be a nice thought, she admitted to herself.

"Unfortunately, my chakra has a rather unique effect on other people, considering my chakra is often attuned to a certain element, as you all know," Naruto spoke unhappily. "I do not want to risk hurting you. Besides, having your own Summons means that you won't have to rely on me all the time, yeah?"

"I suppose," Ino said, frowning slightly.

"Are you not pleased that you were able to Summon me, Mistress?" Shirohane inquired softly.

"It's not that, Shirohane," Ino spoke reassuringly. "I'm just overwhelmed by the sudden responsibility. Sorry if I had you worried there."

"Problem solved, I suppose," Natsuki grumbled wryly.

"Well, dear, you can still teach them some Signal codes," Shizuru reminded her. "I'm sure it will make for an interesting exercise, especially considering the fact that Signal codes require a lot of chakra control in order to be done properly."

"Right!" Natsuki grinned evilly. "And as an extra incentive, we should devise some sort of punishment every time they fail to provide the proper Signal codes."

_Uh-oh,_ Naruto thought as he saw the glint in Natsuki's eyes. _We're in trouble now.

* * *

_

Hinata was filled with nervous energy. She hadn't expected to be given a C-rank mission so early in her Genin career, especially not after Kurenai's little speech about the importance of slogging through D-rank missions and building up character. Still, the Hokage seemed genuinely impressed with their work ethic and had decided to reward them with a C-rank mission, albeit a slightly boring one, as Kiba put it. Escorting bridge builders was not _really_ that exciting, but it beat pulling weeds and chasing after demon cats any day.

He doesn't see it that way though, Hinata thought ruefully. But at least he's more up to it than Shikamaru-kun is.

Their lazy teammate wasn't at all that eager with the notion of work, and _hard_ work at that. Their first few days together, Shikamaru only worked to reach the bare minimum requirement, and without much enthusiasm. Kurenai was quite determined to push them into becoming stronger shinobi though, and was deliberately harder with Shikamaru than with his other teammates. Now, the young genius stood with an alert air about him, his slouch gone, as well as the perpetually irritated look on his face. He still moaned on about how troublesome everything was, but he did so in private, when it was just the three of them training.

"Hey-a, Kiba," a most familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. "Are you going somewhere today?"

She looked up, met Naruto's gaze for half a second, and suddenly found the ground very interesting.

"We're doing a C-rank mission," announced Kiba, his chest swelling with pride. Shikamaru smirked slightly but said nothing.

"That's cool," Naruto answered brightly. "You guys totally deserve that C-rank mission! From what I heard, you guys have been working real hard with those D-rank missions lately. We only do one or two a day, and you guys do at least five. I'm glad all of your hard work has finally paid off." Naruto paused when he heard the sound of others approaching. "Have fun with your mission and good luck! I have to leave now. More training, you know? See you in a couple of days."

Hinata gave Naruto a tiny wave and let her shoulders relax when the boy was finally gone. It was so nice of him to wish us luck, she mused, feeling her pulse quicken. She slapped her cheeks and adjusted the straps on her backpack. No, she couldn't let herself be distracted now.

"Are you ready?" Kurenai asked. Tazuna, the bridge builder, was trailing after her, a disgruntled expression on his face.

"As ever," Shikamaru answered back. He would have probably rolled his eyes too, Hinata knew, if it weren't for the fact that Kurenai had a full-view of his face, and a more obvious show of sarcasm would just spell trouble for her teammate. To Hinata, he said, "I'll take rear if you take front. Remember, Byakugan every half hour. Kiba, stay close to our client."

Hinata nodded briefly and walked to the front, aware of the others' eyes on her. She gulped and closed her eyes. Whispering the word, "Byakugan," to herself, she activated her bloodline and scanned the area warily. There were a few people milling around near Konoha's front gates, but none of them had hostile chakra signatures. She paused slightly in her inspection and felt a shiver run through her spine as she watched Naruto conversing lightly with his teammates from afar. She let the jutsu go before she was completely distracted and gave the hand signal 'all clear' to the rest of her companions. Uncertainly, she took the first step outside the huge gates of Konoha. The next step after that was easier.

She consciously unwound her tense shoulder muscles and clasped her hands behind her back. Kiba, who was besides their client, had started talking to Tazuna about the Wave Country, his easy manner allowing their client to relax. Kiba had always been the most vocal member in Team 8, and could talk to anyone without batting an eyelid. Rank or prestige did not matter to the young boy. He was loud and brash, but easy-going and cheerful too. If Tazuna did not seem bothered with his forwardness, he would happily talk on about a variety of topics until told otherwise. It seemed that nobody minded though; after all, it helped pass the time and kept everyone from being completely bored.

Not that we should be bored, Hinata reprimanded mentally to herself. We should be alert at all times. To strengthen her resolve, she used the Byakugan again and squinted, surveying the ground around them. No one was around, except for some birds in the trees as well as other various animals scuttling about. She bit her lip and let the jutsu go after a few seconds. There was no point in using the Byakugan on a prolonged basis. Sure, it would strengthen their security, but it would leave Hinata depleted of chakra. She would not be of much use in a fight then.

Her thoughts, eventually, led back to Naruto's smiling face and his crouched figure, waving goodbye at them just a few hours before. He was the nicest boy she had ever met. Though he didn't need to, he took it upon himself to sit around their classroom and interact with different people on a daily basis. His closest friends were unhappy about it at first, reasoning that he never spends enough time with them, but he said that he wanted to be friends with everyone, and they _should_ use that opportunity to do the same. He was very open to others, and always thought about their progress. Even those who only seemed to like him because of his intellect were given equal respect. It seemed like nothing could faze the boy, and he was just illogically nice to everyone.

Hinata especially liked those days when he sat beside her. He was always asking questions that made Hinata feel useful and even served as a review for later on. He also shared some of his lunch with her. It was not the most exquisite cuisine the young heiress had tasted, but the fact that she was in his company, eating food he had made thoughtfully for her, was enough to make the food seem heavenly. Of course, he did the same for Kiba and Chouji, but that was where the list ends; this was one of the few things he did only for the three of them. Once, she asked him why that was the case, and he explained that it was because he was indebted to the three of them. It seemed that he still remembered a time when they would feed him because he didn't have enough money to feed himself. Now, he could fend for himself, but he had a long memory.

I just wish he did that because he liked—well, because of other reasons, Hinata thought bitterly. She sighed audibly and almost jumped when she felt Kurenai's hand on her shoulder. "Se-sensei?"

"Tired already, Hinata?" Her sensei asked.

"N-no, Sensei. I'm sorry," Hinata stuttered, blushing a crimson red. "I was just thinking about things."

"Care to talk to me about them?" When she saw Hinata shake her head, she added, "Well, just as long as you don't fall too deep into your thoughts. It wouldn't do to let your teammates down by being distracted."

"Hai!" Hinata answered forcefully and faced ahead once more. "How much longer until we reach Wave country?" She asked after a moment's pause and hoped that she didn't sound too whiny.

"I believe we will reach Wave Country in three days' time at the pace we're making," Kurenai answered kindly, and smiled down at Hinata. "The hardest thing about escort missions, Hinata, is the waiting. Sometimes, nothing happens at all. Sometimes, the pace itself can be unbearably slow as well. There's nothing we can do. We cannot choose the circumstances of the mission. We can only do our best and hope that it ends as a success with no one hurt. I know the younger shinobis are always itching for a fight, but that's only because they're still blinded with the glory of fighting. Soon enough, I'm sure the three of you will be more than happy to have missions like this, where nothing bad happens."

"Do you feel relieved, Sensei?" Hinata asked shyly. "That nothing bad has happened so far?"

"If that means my students are safe, than I am," admitted Kurenai. They heard Shikamaru whistle an old song about soldiers marching to war and tensed. Kurenai disappeared in a blur of dust and leaves while Hinata ran towards Tazuna, her Byakugan already activated. I suppose we'll be safe another day, Hinata thought and frowned.

The leaves rustled from above and produced a cloaked man wearing a mask over his mouth. He landed in between Hinata and Tazuna, and with a grunt, sent his other half flying over Tazuna's head to land behind him. Fortunately, Kiba and Shikamaru were already standing near Tazuna, and had managed to intercept the long shuriken chain that threatened to behead Tazuna just a few moments ago. With the two enemy shinobi locked in a stalemate, Hinata took this opportunity to hit the man's tenketsu points in the back, rendering some of his chakra coils useless.

There was a sound of something snapping. Hinata saw that they had released the chain in favour of individual fighting, and jumped back to avoid the metal claw attached to the man's arm. She watched him warily, knowing that even without chakra, he was still a danger to everyone. It was at that moment that Kurenai had stepped in to help them, using an illusion to keep one of their opponents at bay. Of course, she had decided to incapacitate the one who was already suffering from the sealed tenketsu points as he would have a harder time fighting the illusion without access to his chakra. The other was quickly subdued by Kiba and Shikamaru, with Kiba dealing the damage while Shikamaru kept their enemy from moving with his Kage jutsu.

Hinata blinked and straightened from her fighting stance. She was surprised and a little happy to note that they had done so well for their first time fighting outside Konoha's walls, though she couldn't help but feel as if the whole fight was a bit anti-climactic. She frowned and bit her lip, her eyes unfocused. If she were to look at this from a perspective that her Outo-sama encouraged, she would have been disappointed. These opponents were weak and fighting them had not helped her at all in becoming a better shinobi. On the other hand, she was thankful for how quick the fight had ended, for the very reason that Kurenai did not mind the monotony in a mission.

She turned her head to stare at the two Mist nin warily. They had not answered any of Kurenai's probing questions. Kiba, who was always the most impatient of them, snarled threats in a low, rumbling voice. Besides him, Akamaru barked. Probably making similar threats.

After a few more minutes of fruitless questioning, Kurenai sighed in defeat and signalled for them to walk onwards to their destination. Hinata wondered why that was. Shikamaru, it seemed, was wondering the same thing. "Kurenai-sensei, is it really alright for us to leave those two tied to a tree? Considering they're Chuunin-level shinobi, I have no doubt that they will escape sooner or later."

"Interrogating them is not within our mission parameters. Though learning more from them would be beneficial to Tazuna-san's overall safety, keeping him here while we try to break those two would only endanger him more. We _could_ bring those two along, but if more rogue shinobi attacked us, they would only prove to be a handicap, especially if they escape from their bonds. Not only that, but we only have enough rations to feed ourselves. I suppose we could forego feeding them, but I personally don't advocate such inhumane actions." She took a breath's pause, before continuing. "Besides, they've already been taken care of."

"Taken care of? Tazuna asked, appalled. "You haven't killed them while we weren't looking, have you?"

"Oh gods, no," Kurenai replied. "I just meant that someone's already gone there to retrieve them—several someones, in fact, who are probably better at interrogating than I am."

"Several...? How are you so sure about this, Sensei?" Kiba demanded.

Kurenai smiled slightly but refused to answer.

* * *

"They're on to us, Natsuki-sensei," Ino said frantically and watched as their current Jounin-sensei erect the tent they would be sharing for the night, calm as ever. "I'm sure of it!"

"Well, seeing as specialized Jounins are considered the very best that Konoha has to offer—sans the ANBU of course, but no one is entirely too sure how powerful the ANBU are—I wouldn't put it past their sensei to have noticed us already by now." Natsuki remarked offhandedly and set the last of the poles in place.

"But aren't you a Hunter-nin and part of the ANBU?" Ino asked. Natsuki gave her a look that very much said, 'So what?' "Surely you're capable of hiding yourself from their sensei!"

"Oh, I am." Knowing that Ino wouldn't stop staring at her if she didn't explain her answer better, Natsuki added, "But you aren't."

"What does that mean? Are you saying that we're incapable of hiding from them?"

"I'm saying that your current abilities can never be good enough to hide from a veteran. Especially one who's probably twice as old as you are," Natsuki replied, the smug tone evident in her voice.

"Then what was the whole point of having us trail after them without revealing our presence?" Ino continued her barrage of questions, clearly dissatisfied. Naruto and Shino, who had already finished with their tent, watched them silently. There was no need to interrupt Ino, especially when they wanted to know the answer to her questions as well.

"It was merely an exercise in hiding your presence, though I do admit that there are other benefits as well."

"Like what?"

"You've proven that you are capable of hiding from other genin, which already makes you ahead of them in the long run. Sure, you managed by restricting your movements and using an overly complex communication system rather than mere talent alone, but let's face it: talent's not going to help you once the playing field's been levelled. You can see this as a lesson in creativity as well." Natsuki paused to consider her next words. "There's also the fact that because you've managed to hide your presence _so well_, their sensei will assume that whoever's tailing them is at least the level of an average Chuunin.

"Now here's where it gets interesting. The reason why my Jounin counterpart noticed us was because she noticed the strong, fluctuating chakra coming from Shirohane, a sure way of recognizing a Beast Summon as birds normally don't have Shirohane's chakra capacity. Now that I've switched Shirohane with my own Summon, one with a lesser chakra capacity, I doubt she believes that they're still being followed. In fact, she probably thought that our role in all of this was merely to capture those two rogue shinobi after they were done with them. Your coming back here is evidence enough of that, from her perspective anyway."

"Or she could be thinking that the ones following her are rogues as well, and the only reason they stopped was because they had to ensure that their comrades are safe," Ino offered.

"An unlikely scenario, considering she spotted Shirohane. Since she participated in the Third Great Shinobi World War, then she should be familiar with Konoha's best messenger birds." Natsuki rebutted.

"If that's the case, then wouldn't she recognize your falcon too? Also, how are we going to trail after them tomorrow?" Naruto asked mildly.

"By sending them a message in advance that we're going to be trailing after them tomorrow," Natsuki answered simply. "As for your first question, it depends on whether or not she notices my falcon first. As I've mentioned, without the chakra capacity she probably wouldn't notice my falcon at all. When you're not looking for something—"

"You don't see it. Even if it's right in front of you," Naruto finished, remembering that line all too well from an Academy lecture. He frowned, his eyebrows knitting in confusion. "If we tell them we're tailing them, then doesn't that defeat the purpose of us trying to hide our presence in the first place?" he asked.

"No, because now they're aware that their mission is a lot more dangerous than it seems which would then justify sending backup. After all, when one has just been attacked by two rogue shinobi, one has to question the value of the person one is trying to protect."

"Then why not just tell them upfront that they're in danger _before _they even left the village?" Ino spoke up before Naruto could say anything.

Natsuki looked upwards and sighed. "Because then they would be wondering why the Hokage still sent them in the first place, knowing that they might face higher classes of missing-nin."

"So they're bait?" There was a sudden silence. Two heads turned to gape at Naruto who looked angry for once. "You just let them go through that gate, knowing damn well that all they'll ever be is bait?"

"'All they'll ever be?'" Natsuki asked mockingly. "Naruto, if bait is all they'll ever be, the Hokage wouldn't have sent _you_ with me. In fact, he would have probably sent a team of ANBU in your place. Do you know how bloody hard it is to keep 'bait' alive? We're not sending them on a fucking suicide mission here. I assure you, there are plenty of ways to finish this mission successfully without having to resort to such idiotic means.

"I know you're merely concerned about your teammates' safety, but acting like they can't take care of themselves will get you nowhere. They're not children to be coddled, Naruto. They're shinobi like you and me. At least acknowledge that and don't underestimate them.

"You know, I pity the man who will take the mantle of Hokage someday, because, to be honest? He'll have the hardest decisions to make. When it comes to handing out missions, do you think our Sandaime just chooses whatever he fancies and gives them to you? Every mission is given a lot of thought. Considering that you're still genin-level in most aspects, D-class missions will be the bulk of your work load. However, he is also aware of the fact that you need to grow and, in order for that to happen, you will have to do a variety of missions that just _might_ be dangerous. If he doesn't, then he's denying you the best education there is out there: experience.

"So yes, the Sandaime might be endangering the lives of your friends by giving them this assignment, but don't you know? The path of a shinobi is _always_ dangerous. The only reason he sent us here, is because the last time he sent a genin team on a C-class escort mission that took more than three days to finish, everyone ended up dying."

"Degarashi Port Incident," whispered Naruto. He looked away from Natsuki's sharp gaze, as if remembering something from long ago.

"Exactly," Natsuki spoke softly as she too remembered that particular botch-up. "So next time, take a while to stop and think about _why_ the Sandaime did what he did, and see things from his perspective. Do you really think he's going to let his youngest batch of genin become bait? No, I don't think so." She paused for a while so that her words could properly sink in. "Consider this a lesson in what it means to be the Hokage."

"Sensei, are we bringing those two with us?" Shino finally asked, breaking the silence, and nodded at the two brothers who were currently unconscious thanks to a powerful sleep jutsu that Natsuki had applied to them. "I feel that their presence will be a detriment to our mission."

"Good thinking," their sensei said approvingly and grinned. "I would have addressed the issue earlier, but as you can see, I got a bit sidetracked."

She turned her attention towards Naruto who seemed apologetic enough for his earlier outburst. "Think you can have four of your clones bring these two back to Konoha? Normally, I'd have them questioned, but I only know a few Interrogation techniques, most of which might compromise our location as it requires physically hurting them. Besides, Shizuru might want to teach you herself, and that would mean going over the basics." She paused and mumbled to herself, "I'd probably make a mess of the job teaching them how to interrogate anyway." To Naruto, she continued, "It shouldn't take a while if they're running back at full-speed. Try to keep a low-profile though. If they _do_ have allies, it's a possibility that they'll try to retrieve our captives. I don't want your clones to take their allies on, you understand?"

Naruto nodded. Already, two Fuuton Bunshin were picking up their captives, while the other two had disappeared to do some scouting.

When he turned around, he found Ino pressing a wooden bowl filled with beef stew against his hands. They were lukewarm, having come from a huge thermos, because they weren't allowed to make a fire for cooking. Briefly, Naruto wondered if heat dissipated even when the food was stored inside a scroll, but those thoughts were pushed at the back of his mind to be pondered another time as he sat down besides Shino to eat. Natsuki passed them a chunk of bread each and settled in front of them. "Better eat quickly because we won't be making a fire tonight." She advised them and bit into her own piece of bread. She seemed to consider something for a moment before saying, "Just because it feels as if we're being sent here as backup doesn't mean that it's our only job. The fact that Shizuru's unit has taken an interest in the Land of Waves means that there's more to this mission than just a power-hungry man looking to drain a nation of their wealth. Keep your eyes and ears open. Don't trust a single source, unless their words have been validated by others."

"You're beginning to sound like Shizuru," Ino observed lightly.

Natsuki made a face. "I hang around that woman too much and this is what happens. Well, damn. Before you know it, I'll be saying 'ara, ara' soon enough and drinking tea like it's fucking water."

* * *

A/N: As a refresher, Degarashi Port Incident was mentioned in the first chapter of the Butterfly Effect, where his old landlord had been responsible for the death of a genin team.

I was originally planning for Zabuza to show up at the end of this chapter but realized that I needed a more concrete timeline. That meant he would appear at the second or third day, because they should have some considerable distance between them and Konoha by the time he attacks. Also, from looking at a Naruto map, I don't think one can travel to the Land of Waves in only a day. Not with a civilian to escort.

For more information on updates, see my bio.


	6. Hunters in the Snow

**Chapter Five – Hunters in the Snow**

Kurenai stared at the letter for a long time. Eventually, she threw it in the dwindling fire and got up to wake her genin. So the Shinobu Ring of Command had sent another team as backup? That was fine, wasn't it? It wasn't like they didn't believe in her because she was a rookie jounin. If they thought she wasn't capable to lead, then she wouldn't have been appointed as a jounin-instructor in the first place. _Or did they think I would fail my first team?_ She wondered. _No, with the Hyuuga heiress, there was no question that mine would pass. If I did fail them, it would mean threats from the Hyuuga clan head._

She shook her head to clear her troubling thoughts and lifted the flap of the boys' tent. She nudged Shikamaru, waking him from an uneasy slumber, and went to the tent she shared with Hinata to do the same.

Their group began a short and efficient routine of stowing away their things and killing their fire. Tazuna, who had his own tent to dismantle, had taken a short pause and watched them work with grudging approval. Things stowed, they began to eat sandwiches and spring rolls from a storage scroll that Hinata had brought with her as they moved on.

"Sensei," Shikamaru spoke up, trailing just a few steps behind her, less than an hour after they had started walking. "There's a group of shinobi trailing after us—four o'clock, about twelve hundred feet away and gaining speed."

_It must be them._ Kurenai nodded serenely. "Leave a mark on one of the trees; they'll know where to look."

Shikamaru lifted both eyebrows abruptly and nodded. "They sent us backup, huh?"

"What? Seriously?" Kiba demanded. He had been listening to their brief conversation. "Do they think we're not competent enough? Stupid mutts—_we_ can take care of ourselves."

"We don't exactly have a say in the matter." Kurenai answered gently. "Besides, the extra help is always welcome." Her gaze flickered to meet Kiba's defiant eyes, daring him to protest further. The boy pouted and stuck his chin out. He looked away sullenly.

"S-sensei," Hinata interrupted, her voice quivering. "I think I recognize them."

She looked at her student appraisingly. "You do? It's quite the skill to recognize a man simply through his chakra pathways."

The girl had blushed, "It's Naruto-kun's team, Sensei."

_That boy our Hinata has her eye on? Well that would explain why she recognized _him. _However…_ Kurenai frowned. It was Tazuna who voiced out her puzzlement. "Why send more genin? Why not chuunin or jounin instead? No offense and all but, I don't exactly feel _super_ safe with more brats running around."

"None taken," Shikamaru answered dryly. "I wouldn't feel safe either."

"Hey, Naruto and his team are pretty good, you know," Kiba replied defensively, a true pack dog.

"But they are as inexperienced as we are."

"Well, considering the amount you paid for our team, they're probably trying to compensate by sending us the best genin crop of the year. Jounin and chuunin are not exactly within your current price range," Kurenai answered icily.

Tazuna paled from her tone. He had already told them everything—his reasons, and his lack of monetary funds. From the way the three genins glanced at him, and Kurenai's rigid stance, he knew that it would take time before they could trust him again, if ever at all. He gritted his teeth, willing himself not to let his anger take control of his actions. He had already made a great many errors. He would not add more to that list. Besides, he owed these people his life, even if he did pay for their services. They could have left him to journey alone once the truth had sloppily spilled out of his mouth, but they didn't. That said a lot about their group. It meant that they deserved a bit more respect from him.

* * *

Zabuza breathed heavily, tasting the scent of his prey. He bared his teeth in a wide grin, though none could see the wide canines that curved sharply from either side of his mouth, his face masked by a simple linen cloth wrapped around his chin a few times. He tightened his grip around Kubikiribocho's handle and tilted his head a bit, his mind racing to form a course of action that would give him the highest percentage of success. The jounin was the most dangerous of them, he knew, which meant taking her down first. After that, he could keep them preoccupied with Kirigakure. He licked his lips, his eyes resting on a small mouse of a girl with lavender eyes and fidgety fingers. No. He would use that technique after he'd incapacitate the girl. No point in having mist around if a Byakugan user could tell where he was hiding anyway. Then it was just a matter of picking his targets off one at a time.

He could feel the presence of more figures approaching but paid them no heed. They would be taken care of.

His muscles tensed.

Blood landed on his cheek in hot, scalding droplets. He twisted his body and cut the jounin's throat with a kunai in his other hand for good measure. His stance perfectly balanced, he paused for a few seconds, eyeing the frightened kids before him. Their faces had changed from a determined expression to a shocked and fearful one—an expression he was familiar with. "Give me the old man, and none of you will get hurt," Zabuza spoke calmly. "Though really, I'd like to kill you all, so I'm hoping you'll say no."

"You're right," Shikamaru finally spoke up, after the three exchanged nervous looks. "We'd rather die than give him over, however troublesome that might be."

Zabuza smiled underneath his mask. Time for some fun. He inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement and disappeared, leaving a trail of mist. When he reappeared to slam his blade against the girl's chest he found himself incapable of moving. With a grunt, he was able to shift his muscles a little, but it was an effort.

"Now, Hinata!"

The girl glared at Zabuza with those milky lavender eyes. "Jyuuken Hou, Hakke Sanjuuni Sho."

Chakra-enhanced fingers began to cut off his chakra pathways with deft fingers. Zabuza let out a growl of annoyance and forced chakra out of those blocked paths, kicking the girl's stomach and knocking the breath out of her lungs. "Too slow," he murmured and swung his blade in a sideways sweep, forcing the feral dog boy to move off-course with his drill-like jutsu. With a twitch of his fingers, two Mizu Bunshin rose from behind him. He'd made the mistake of letting his guard down. Well, he would not make that mistake a second time. It was time to destroy these brats.

His target this time was the shadow boy who had managed to stop his movements for a brief while. He felt one of his clones capture the girl using his Suiro no Jutsu and immediately used Kirigakure to hide himself and his remaining clone. When he saw the gaki, he twisted his grip on his sword in preparation. In a matter of seconds, it would all be over.

He slammed his sword against the boy's ribcage. Shadow boy frowned and looked down at the wound. He exploded in a spray of water. Zabuza's eyes widened in surprise. He turned around and met the oncoming blade with his own. What the hell was his clone doing? Why was it attacking him? His gaze flickered downwards, and sure enough, he could see his clone's shadow connected to the shadow boy. He twisted around and beheaded his clone without a second's thought. How did they manage to—?

He'd just destroyed his two clones. That meant that the Hyuuga girl managed to break free of his Water Prison. It would be easy, of course, he reasoned, especially when one of them can manipulate the shadows.

"Gatsuuga!"

* * *

Kurenai remained hidden as part of the clearing's foliage, watching her students with an approving smile. Shikamaru was a clever boy and his two teammates were quick to follow his lead. Already, Shikamaru was able to tell where that missing-nin's priorities lied. He knew who to protect, and with a few discreet hand signals, he was able to direct his friends to defend efficiently against the man. As a genin group, however, they were incapable of doing more than defend. They didn't know enough ninjutsus to launch a strong counterattack, and even if they did, none of them had the chakra capacity to use such ninjutsus in quick succession. Already she could sense that Kiba was growing tired and Shikamaru's chakra was decreasing at an increasing rate. She had aided them of course, though she used her genjutsus subtly. She had heightened the man's arrogance and had slightly warped the man's field of vision so that his aim was slightly off.

She saw her opportunity then and immediately moved her hands to make the proper seals. The missing-nin gasped in surprise as branches began to coil around his torso, his wrists and his legs, forcing him to drop his blade. She reappeared on top of him, pressing a kunai against his neck. She smirked. Her jutsu had been a success. Her genins, who were regrouping around Tazuna cheered at the sight of her.

Before she could begin to question him, however, senbon flew from her right and slammed against the man's neck, killing him. She growled in frustration and turned to meet the eyes—or at least, the slits—of the Hunter-nin who had emerged from the trees.

"I am a Hunter-nin of Kiri. As this man is a known missing-nin from my village, I must insist that you let him go so that I may take his body back to Kiri where he will be properly disposed. Please understand, it is my job as a Hunter-nin to ensure that our secrets will remain ours."

"Very well." Grudgingly, Kurenai released the genjutsu she had used and slowly backed away, her hands raised in a sign of non-aggression.

She felt a pulse of chakra, and before she could react, the Hunter-nin before her had fallen to the ground where a slab of earth leapt to encircle his waist. A Konoha nin whom she was unfamiliar with appeared in front of Kurenai, crouching towards the nin and putting a pair of handcuffs on his wrists.

"Stupid boy," the Konoha nin muttered under her breath. "Think you can fool a real Hunter-nin?" To her companions, she said, "Nice shot there, Naruto. And Shino—that was some quick thinking, using a doton jutsu to trap him." Her genin team appeared besides her, their clothes having shown signs of a battle.

"Ah, hello, Kiba, Shikamaru, Hinata," Naruto greeted each one of them with a brilliant smile. "Sorry we took so long in coming here. We got a bit preoccupied with some bandits."

"They weren't much of a challenge," Ino grumbled and crossed her arms. "At least you guys fought a jounin; the bandits we fought probably didn't even know what the word 'jutsu' means."

"Tsch, at least you weren't in a life or death situation," Shikamaru spoke, scowling at the girl.

"Why did you incapacitate that Hunter-nin?" Kurenai asked the other jounin curiously.

"Because Hunter-nins are supposed to dispose of the body where it is killed," explained the jounin. "The only thing you bring back is the head of the kill to confirm that you have done your duty to your village."

Kurenai raised her eyebrows in surprise. She hadn't known about that. "So that boy is an accomplice?"

"That would be our best bet."

"Fuckit!" They both turned around and glared at Kiba who was staring behind them in surprise.

"What's wrong, Kiba?" Kurenai asked gently, her expression softening.

"I just saw that Kiri-nin melt into the ground!" They both turned to look and found that the missing-nin was already gone; in his place was a puddle of water.

"Shino, did you place a bug on him?"

"Of course, Natsuki-sensei," the boy replied tersely.

Natsuki nodded. "Then we can track him later if we have to."

"What do you mean 'later'?" Kiba demanded. "Why don't we do it now? He must be tired from fighting against us. I think it's better if we go after him while he's still recovering!"

"What is your mission?" Natsuki demanded.

"T-to protect Tazuna-san," Hinata replied.

Kiba pouted and folded his arms. "Fine! We'll protect the old man. But if that missing-nin comes back again, I want a piece of his ass!"

"Come on, Kiba," Naruto said cheerfully, patting the boy's shoulder. "Let's go escort the bridge-builder to his home. If you're right and that missing-nin is still recovering, then we won't have to worry about him for a while."

"N-naruto-kun is right," Hinata spoke soothingly. "Let's do our mission first, Kiba-kun."

Natsuki removed the doton jutsu on the younger Kiri-nin and slung him on her shoulder. Curiously, she looked at Kurenai as they began their slow walk towards Nami no Kuni once more. "You're not related to Shizuru, are you?"

* * *

Night was beginning to fall when they finally reached the boats that would bring them to Nami no Kuni. Their prisoner, a boy named Haku, was quite displeased at being held hostage. Unfortunately for him, the chakra cuffs on his wrists prevented him from forming any jutsus.

As a group, Team 8 and Team 11 worked well together despite being relatively new genin teams. In the front they had Kiba and Shino who were good scouts and trackers with bloodlines that allowed them to alert the others if a threat ever arose. Naruto and Hinata were both vital for combat and were placed in the back where they could immediately launch a defensive. Shikamaru was clever and his strategies would be vital so he was placed in the middle, along with Ino who was asking Tazuna an awful lot of questions—a true sign of a good investigator. She was also good for defence and was the closest if the old man was ever in any immediate danger.

Kurenai couldn't help but laud their jounin-sensei mentally for Team 11's ability to integrate themselves in her group. When she mentioned as much to Natsuki, the jounin snorted derisively and explained that she was not their actual jounin-sensei. Ibiki, who was chosen to be their instructor, was too vital a figure in ANBU to leave the village. He had no time to go with his team for a mission like this, even if it had unintentionally turned into an A-rank mission. Kurenai, who had remembered seeing Ibiki in the conference room with the other jounin-instructors waiting for their assignments, realized that it was Naruto's team that the man had taken. She thought he was one of those jounins who just got fodder genin-hopefuls who had no chance of passing the Final Test in the first place.

Boy was she wrong.

Tazuna, on the other hand, marvelled at the professionalism exuding from this motley band. They were alert and tense, and though none of the children carried themselves with the same battle-readiness that their senseis did, they still appeared to be a threat to those who were looking. For once, his men looked hopeful as they began to uncoil the rope that tied their boats to the shore.

The group separated again into their original teams, as their ride to the Land of Waves could not carry all of them in one boat. Natsuki, who appeared to have an agenda of her own, gave instructions to her genin team, putting special emphasis on the fact that they must obey Kurenai in her absence, before she ran ahead of them, her footsteps light as she treaded on water.

When prompted on why their sensei was scouting ahead, the three exchanged looks and explained that their sensei was a member of ANBU. If she had gone ahead, there was a good reason behind it. They just weren't sure if it was simply an information-gathering one, or something more…bloody.

"Where is my master, Zabuza-sama?" Haku finally demanded after being silent for so long.

"He escaped," Naruto replied as he led the older boy towards the second boat.

"Good."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem too concerned about your own safety."

The effeminate boy did not reply.

"He's prolly keeping his own mouth shut so that he won't unintentionally reveal any information to us," Kiba said with a scowl directed at the Kiri-nin.

"It's the wise thing to do," Naruto murmured softly.

Their boats were pushed from the shore and began to drift across the deep waters. Shikamaru, who liked the slow pace, was staring at the stars in his usual indolent manner. Kiba and his dog were enjoying the new scents that the sea had presented to them. Hinata was talking affably with Ino even though they were in different boats, while Naruto was reading one of the jutsu scrolls he had brought with him. Shino simply stared. Haku, who was sitting near the prow of the boat, shifted uncomfortably from that inexpressive stare and tried to look away.

"Shinobi are tools," Shino spoke softly, his voice only loud enough for Haku to hear. "Does your master see you as a tool, I wonder?"

"I—what if he does?"

"Does he know how precious he is to you?"

The force of Haku's glare lessened. "Whether he knows or does not know matters not to me. As long as I can be of use to him, I can be happy." He paused and looked at Shino thoughtfully. "And you? Do you have people who are precious to you?"

Shino frowned and considered Haku's question. He cared about his parents and his clan. He cared about his teammates and his friends. He cared about the village. But were any of them truly precious to him? They were important to him, but the words 'important' and 'precious' were very much different from each other. "I'm afraid we do not share the same mindset."

"What do you mean by that?"

"There are people who are important to me, but not in the same way that Zabuza-san is important to you." Shino tilted his head slightly, choosing his words with care. "I see things from a Queen Bee – Worker perspective. The Queen is the most important of all for without the Queen, the Hive will crumble. The Workers, like my team and I, we are expendable. We can afford to die for the Queen. Yet, despite that, the lives of my teammates are very important to me and I would do my best to keep them from harm's way. If I were to see them as only expendable, the group dynamics would suffer, because I would not work so hard to try and protect them."

"That's very logical of you. So you protect them because it is beneficial to the group?"

"Yes," Shino adjusted his glasses, "and because they are my friends."

"So you care about them but you care even more for a cause higher than yourself." At Shino's nod, the older boy frowned. "And what if this higher cause will only bring pain and suffering to your friends?"

"Then it is not a worthy cause."

"So you would kill the Queen if it has deviated to a lesser path?"

"I would. A Queen left tainted will spread its taint, and the Hive will crumble anyway."

* * *

Natsuki arrived in Nami no Kuni in less than an hour. From an initial survey of the place, she could tell that its people were bone-weary and frightened. They were a people whose wills have been broken. They were a people who knew only how to obey and how to hide. They were a people oppressed by those who held power in this place. Natsuki felt disgust at those who had the gall to manipulate such a people and grind them to the current state that they were in.

She disappeared into the corners where shadows frequented more, though with the darkened sky, few places were lit brightly enough for her to worry about looking for cover. She moved through narrow alleyways, past containers of refuse where street urchins loitered. As she did so, she began to tie several jutsus to the basic henge that she had wrapped around herself. These jutsus would ensure that her guise was credible, and unlikely to be removed by a simple wave of chakra which was often used to expel genjutsus. By the time she arrived in a tavern, she looked like a thin, lanky youth just barely above the drinking age limit, with muddy brown hair that looked like a bird's nest and dull brown eyes.

'Shiro' walked into the room nervously, eyeing the heavily muscled mercenaries who dominated the front of the bar. He ordered some beer and found a place to sit in a corner where he began to drink the too-strong beverage with trepidation written plainly on his face. To those who cared to look, they found a boy whose notion of becoming a man included drinking heavily and getting laid.

He was about to get the latter in the form of a brunette slithering towards him, the sway of her hips making her curves more pronounced. She sat on his lap and caressed his cheek gently, kissing his stubbly jaw and whispering sweet nothings in his ear. Shiro flushed and allowed himself to be led towards one of the empty rooms upstairs, feeling the jealous gaze of many patrons in the tavern trailing after the pair.

When they reached the room, Shiro locked the door and added a seal that would keep any possible eavesdroppers from hearing anything important.

"I hope you are not always this intimate with your _customers_, Misaki-san," Natsuki murmured in Shiro's rough voice.

"Jealous, Natsuki-chan?" Misaki asked.

The kunoichi snorted derisively. "I just hate for us to have to keep meeting like this. And the name is Shiro tonight, Misaki-san."

"How romantic of you,_ Shiro-kun,_" Misaki replied, a smile tugging at her lips as she savoured the taste of 'his' name in her mouth. "I didn't think you were the type who'd want to rescue a pretty thing like me from my profession."

"You know what I mean, Misaki-san." Natsuki sighed. "Our meetings are always just so troublesome. Anyway, what'd you got for me?"

"Gato's almost got the entire village wrapped around his little finger by now," Misaki spoke softly. "The bridge-builder is trying his best, but if he doesn't find more workers, he'll never finish that bridge."

"Don't worry; Konoha's placed a vested interest on this place."

Misaki raised both eyebrows in mild surprise. "Replacing one master with a more benevolent one?"

"Our village has no interest in expanding its territory. Still, it would do well for both of our economies if Nami no Kuni decides to become a trading partner of Konoha."

"Even if Nami no Kuni has an ailing economy right now?"

Natsuki shrugged. "Things get worse before they get better."

"It sounds like Konoha is desperate for some allies," Misaki observed. This time, the kunoichi remained quiet. "I also have other news for you—particularly _you_, Na—Shiro-kun." She sat down at the edge of the bed, looking wearier than before. "Unfortunately, Gato's managed to hire more than one dangerous missing-nin for his purposes. Have you heard of the name Kanzaki before?"

"A family dedicated to the acquisition of demonic blades," Natsuki intoned, her face suddenly unreadable.

Masaki inclined her head. "The eldest son of their clan head is looking to add Gato to their numerous resources. He sent his firstborn here to do whatever nasty work Gato has for him."

"That's almost as big an investment that Konoha has on Nami no Kuni," Natsuki muttered."What can Gato give him that others can't?"

"Reach," Misaki answered simply. "Gato is a shipping magnate. With his kind of job and power, the Kanzaki clan can go to farther places than they can before. It would make acquiring those blades even easier for them."

Natsuki grunted and crossed her arms. "Smart—but not smart enough if they caught the attention of Konoha." She paused and took a deep breath. "Who else?"

"Besides a Kanzaki, I hear that he has a Swordsman of the Mist"—Misaki saw Natsuki nodding in agreement—"A Kumo-nin, and another shinobi. From what I heard, this last one doesn't even wear a hitai-ate."


End file.
